Jennifer Garner’s holiday season sounds elektric.
And that’s in large part thanks to her and Ben Affleck’s kids, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, who are more than willing to bring their culinary skills to the table.
"I have one kid who specializes in mashed potatoes, that's their specialty,” Jennifer told People of Thanksgiving this year. “I have one kid who is all about making an apple pie, that's their specialty, and then I have one who goodness only knows what she will make."
And the festive treats won’t stop after Thanksgiving.
“The other night I got home from work, and my son had Christmas music playing full blast through the whole house,” the 13 Going on 30 star added. “And he was wearing an apron and he was making ginger snaps.”
She continued, “And it was just like, 'That's what I'm looking for. That is the energy that I want to see brought to our house right now.’”
But when it comes to spreading holiday cheer, Jennifer’s celebrations don’t end in the kitchen. In fact, the 52-year-old has one major item on her to-do list for ensuring the perfect holiday season.
“We'll definitely go see The Nutcracker,” she revealed. “Because that is a huge part of Christmas for me and for my kids—thank goodness I've drilled it into them—and just being together with family."
And it’s that being together that seems to particularly strike a chord for Jennifer. After all, she and Ben reunited on Thanksgiving Day this year for a worthy cause.
The former couple—who were married between 2005 and 2015—volunteered for The Midnight Mission in Los Angeles by serving meals to those in need in the city’s Skid Row neighborhood. And in pictures posted by the organization, the couple were all smiles as they posed in matching aprons with CEO David Prentice.
“Today, we were honored to have Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner join us at The Midnight Mission for Thanksgiving,” the Instagram post read. “Their kindness, warmth, and dedication brought so much joy to our Skid Row community.”
For her part, Jennifer—who is currently dating John Miller—has been candid about leading by example when it comes to her kids and encouraging them to give back to their communities.
“I think teaching your kids anything is a lifelong job and certainly values are something,” Jen told E! News in 2016. “You can’t just say, ‘Here, have values!’ You have to show them that you have values.”
“When they're older, they'll hopefully travel with us and go to places and be boots on the ground,” she continued, “but for right now, it's just really important to both of us that they see and appreciate the work we do.”
For more on Jennifer’s best parenting quotes, keep reading.
United Front
When it comes to co-parenting, Jennifer Garner will always maintain a cordial relationship with her ex-husband Ben Affleck for the sake of their children: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
“It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy," Garner shared in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview. "The main thing is these kids―and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them."
She continued, "Sure, I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter’s wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you’re going to be friends with that person.”
Humble Beginnings
Though she and Affleck are both successful actors, Garner doesn't want their kids to live inside a Hollywood bubble.
"It's really important for my kids to see that everyone doesn’t have the lives they see in Los Angeles," she told Southern Living. "That doesn’t reflect the rest of the world. I want them to grow up with the Southern values I had―to look at people when they say hello and to stop and smell the roses."
Model Behavior
And that's why her parenting style is very hands-on.
“I think teaching your kids anything is a lifelong job and certainly values are something―you can’t just say, ‘Here, have values!’" she previously told E! News. "You have to show them that you have values."
Explaining how setting a good example is the "most important job," the Alias alum added that she and Affleck—who she split with in 2015 after 10 years of marriage—hope that their kids "see and appreciate the work we do."
Go With the Flow
Of course, there is no one standard way of parenting.
“As much as you think that, ’OK, I’m going to follow what this person says,'" Garner noted during a 2016 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, "it’s not up to you, dude."
Advising parents to "let it go" when it comes to their worries, the 13 Going on 30 star continued, "You’re going to struggle. It’s going to suck—just like for everyone else."
Parenting With Purpose
For Garner, the key to maintaining a good structure for her kids is setting up boundaries and rules.
"You just have to do it," she explained to Us Weekly. "It’s not pretty. I don’t think that I’m always the best at it, but I try my best to be consistent and for them to know what they can expect from me."
No Worries
And when she does experience a roadblock in her parenting journey, Garner believes "every day is a fresh start."
"You always can say, ‘Today, we’re going to try this!'" she told People. "And if it goes horribly, you can say, ‘Today, we’re throwing that out, and we’re trying this!’"
The actress added, "That’s part of what I like about being a mom in general."
Mom Life
Garner's motherhood joy extends into the cinematic universe as well.
"I’m really glad that I’m playing moms," she told Today, "because there’s no more rich time in women’s lives than when you have your babies."