The holidays are here again, and this is a time for family, fun, food, and festivities. For kids though, the time of year doesn’t change the fact that they’re magnets for mess. Dress them up in their finest holiday sweaters, suspenders, and velvet gowns, and in no time, there will be stains, crumbs, and chaos on their red and green clothes. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton knows this as a mom to her 2-year-old son Ever, but this holiday season, she’s prepared. She’s partnering with baby detergent brand Dreft to help parents keep their kids tidy during the merriest and messiest of seasons.
“These kids do not care,” she tells ESSENCE jokingly. “They have no idea what we go through. You want to make sure they’re going to get more than one wear out of something, but they’re definitely going to be making messes. So for me, my go-to is Dreft.”
She, like many women, was first introduced to the brand when she was preparing for her son’s arrival in 2022. Friends and family encouraged her to wash all of his baby clothes early, and she’s been a fan since.
“I was like, ‘So let me get this straight. I should wash all of his clothes, but for the most part, he’ll be lying on my chest, which makes me think I probably should wash all of my clothes as well.’ So then it just became the family laundry detergent and fabric rinse. And now they have the detergent packs. Pop that in and baby, I’m telling you. I literally will look at it and be like, is this for real? One time, one wash, one and done stress-free. So highly, highly recommend.”
Houghton has been getting son Ever’s clothes ready in anticipation of all the holiday celebrations. Her decor, she tells us, has been up since November 1, and she already celebrated Thanksgiving, her favorite holiday, in grand fashion with a cowboy-themed, “Houghton Ranch” bash. It brought out family, friends, and stars like Naturi Naughton and her family. Past merrymakings have included everyone coming in denim getups, a “Royal Feast” themed bash, and more. She does the holidays like no other. So, the whole house has been in the holiday spirit for some time. Literally.
“I light up my whole property with Christmas lights. We go over the top with it, and it costs a lot of money. You can have ’em up as long as you want. And I’m like, let me get more bang for my buck. Let me make sure that I get to have them up for a while. I want my holiday season to be stretched out longer. My son is two. He knows what’s going on. He’s excited about the twinkling lights. He’s running around talking about ‘Feliz Navidad, everybody.'”
She jokes that the decor may stick around through another major holiday. Why not?
“I told my husband the other day, I said, listen, our decorations are red roses this year on our tree. I was like, it’ll work for Valentine’s Day, too.”
And there’s plenty of throwing down in the kitchen throughout the season. Houghton and her husband, gospel legend Israel Houghton, along with her mom, are known for their fare.
“We do not cater,” she says, toting her baked mac and cheese, yams, cornbread, and a one-of-a-kind mashed potatoes recipe that loved ones rave about.
“My secret ingredient is mayonnaise,” she notes. “Whip that up, and I swear it’ll make them super creamy. You know how people do milk? I promise you. Switch it out for mayo. Chef’s kiss.”
As she prepares to bring more holiday cheer and, in turn, people to her home, we asked Houghton how she’s pouring into herself this time of year, especially as the mother of a toddler.
“I spend time with my husband. That, for me, is my favorite time. So even now, it’s getting darker out earlier. I put Ever to bed maybe 30 minutes earlier and then put the monitor on, and we will sit and watch a Hallmark movie. So I thank God for that. But those quiet moments? So necessary. I’ve tried to join the 5:00 a.m. club. We’re not there yet, but a morning when I can just take some devotional time for myself, just a ‘Thank you God for everything and all that I have,’ that just puts the rest of my day into perspective. So, for me, those quiet moments are my self-care.”
But Houghton makes clear that she’s elated to be able to go all out for her family and create new traditions for Ever. In addition to getting his finest threads ready with help from Dreft, she’s setting up their home to be a place that offers their son lasting memories, the kind she enjoyed as a kid, from November through to the new year.
“I’m so much more intentional,” she says. “I literally set up a cookie station, a hot cocoa bar. I’m thinking back to even the things that my mom did that were special. My mom collects Black Santas, fun fact. And so the other day I went to her house, and I was like, can we take some of them so that we can decorate Ever’s room? He has a Christmas tree up in his room, and I know how meaningful those things were to me back then. I want him to have those special moments as well.”
Houghton adds, “I’m so much more intentional, and it’s just beautiful seeing the wonder of the holidays through a 2-year-old’s eyes. It’s really, really special to have that — and to remind him of the real reason for the season.”