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Late December, for many people, is a time for family and holiday cheer. It’s no different for folks on Capitol Hill, which is currently a ghost town after lawmakers went home to their various districts to celebrate their favorite end-of-year traditions.
For some, like Reps. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., and Byron Donalds, R-Mo., that means annual Christmas traditions with loved ones.
“So, Christmas Eve is Spanish bean soup and Cuban sandwiches,” Donalds told Fox News Digital. “And Christmas Day we just spend time, and Christmas night will be some basketball, some football, and maybe a fire.”
Burlison described a “special” Christmas scavenger hunt his mother puts on for her grandchildren to find in their stockings.
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The 2025 Capitol Christmas tree is seen on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
“And then we do Christmas bingo for our White Elephant gifts, and it gets pretty competitive,” Burlison smiled. “One of the funny things that happens every year is my brother will, whatever home we’re in, he’ll steal something from the house and then throw it in as one of the gifts.”
“You’ll end up opening it and you’re like, ‘Oh, we have a vase just like this, Oh, wait, that’s our vase!’ It’s so funny. He does it all the time.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital his favorite Christmas tradition is opening presents with his children and eating Cajun fried turkey.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said he always keeps his faith close on Christmas.
“The holidays always begin with attending Christmas Mass and thanking God for the miracle of the birth of Christ,” Cuellar told Fox News Digital. “From there, it’s about being at home with family — gathering around the table, sharing home-cooked meals, and keeping traditions that bring everyone together.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., likes to share the end-of-year holidays with her chosen family of friends and neighbors.
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Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is seen in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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That includes making and sharing Christmas cookies with those same people, as well as “holiday dinner with my college roommates and holiday dinner with my poker group.”
And Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said Hanukkah and the rest of the holiday season was about his loved ones as well.
“The holidays are a special time for me to celebrate with my family — whether that’s lighting the menorah with my kids, donating toys at local toy drives, or joining our community for tree and menorah lightings,” Gottheimer said.
