5 Hollywood Celebrities Who Don’t Celebrate Christmas 

Christmas is a time when people come together, share meals, exchange gifts, and spend quality time with their loved ones. For many, it’s the highlight of the year. Christmas trees, Christmas music, decorations, and even the holiday shopping madness—everything about this season feels like magic.

But here’s the thing: not everyone is on the Christmas train. In fact, some of your favorite Hollywood celebrities don’t celebrate Christmas at all. And no, it’s not because they’re too busy to shop for presents.

So why is it that these celebs don’t join in on the holiday cheer? Some of them follow different religious traditions, while others simply choose not to observe the holiday for personal or cultural reasons.

Christmas is celebrated by millions around the world, but for these famous faces, December 25th is just another day. Let’s take a look at five celebrities who skip Christmas, and the reasons behind their choice.

1. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses, but when it comes to the holidays, she’s not all about Christmas. Raised in a Jewish family, Portman celebrates Hanukkah, not Christmas. As a Jewish woman, she’s always followed the traditions of her faith, which means no Christmas tree or stocking stuffers for her.

However, in 2016, she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon how she got the best of both worlds. Her estranged husband, Benjamin Millepied, is from a family that celebrates Christmas. So while Portman sticks to her Jewish roots with Hanukkah, she also joined her in-laws for Christmas celebrations. As the Star Wars star said:

I celebrate Hanukkah, I’m Jewish, but my husband’s [Benjamin Millepied] family celebrates Christmas. So we usually do Hanukkah at ours and Christmas at theirs. But this year it’s the same time, which is really nice!

It was a way for her to experience both holidays without having to choose one. She even joked that getting a Christmas tree at 35 was like fulfilling every Jewish person’s secret wish. While she doesn’t exactly celebrate Christmas, she definitely enjoyed being part of the celebration.

2. Adam Sandler

You probably know Adam Sandler for his comedic roles in movies like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but did you also know that he’s not into Christmas? Born into a Jewish family, Sandler grew up celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that usually falls in December.

He’s made it clear over the years that Christmas isn’t part of his tradition, but that doesn’t mean he’s against it—he just doesn’t practice it. In fact, Sandler made Hanukkah a bit more mainstream in 1994 when he performed his now-famous song The Chanukah Song on Saturday Night Live.

The song poked fun at the lack of songs for Hanukkah and even gave a shout-out to Jewish celebrities like Sandler himself, David Lee Roth, and even Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek). The song was a hit and has since become a holiday classic for Jewish people everywhere.

For Sandler, Christmas is just another holiday that doesn’t align with his beliefs. Instead, he focuses on the eight nights of Hanukkah, a time to light the menorah, spin the dreidel, and spend time with family.

3. Drake

Drake, the Canadian rapper and global superstar, might seem like a guy who would be all about Christmas, but in reality, he’s not. While you might see him posting about parties and holidays, Aub actually celebrates Hanukkah

His mother is Jewish, and although he doesn’t make it a huge part of his public persona, he’s very proud of his Jewish heritage. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Drake talked about how important it is to him to stay connected with his family and celebrate holidays like Hanukkah, saying:

[He’s] proud to be Jewish. I celebrate holidays with my family.

He’s proud to be Jewish and enjoys celebrating with his loved ones, especially during the winter holiday season. While his celebrations may not include Christmas, they certainly involve a lot of family love, warmth, and togetherness.

4. Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen, the actor and comedian known for movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express, was also raised in a Jewish family. So, much like his friend Adam Sandler, Christmas isn’t exactly on his radar.

While Rogen has starred in a holiday-themed movie (The Night Before), he doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas in real life. Instead, Rogen’s focus is on Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that he’s celebrated his whole life.

In fact, Rogen has even joked about how, as a kid, he and his sister would laugh at the idea of Santa Claus. In an interview with Vulture, he recalled how he thought it was “pretty silly” that so many people believed in Santa when they knew it wasn’t real. He stated:

As a Jewish kid, it’s funny when you know that a thing isn’t real and everyone thinks it is real. And what’s funny is, I would say to my sister like, “These stupid fucks! They think Santa Claus is real! How dumb are these motherfuckers! I probably ruined Christmas for a lot of kids. Like, I thought it was funny to tell kids that there was no Santa Claus.

So, while the comedian may not be singing Christmas carols or trimming a tree, he still enjoys his holiday season—just with a different kind of celebration.

5. Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is one of the most famous singers of all time, and she even released A Christmas Album in 1967. But don’t get confused—Streisand, despite recording a Christmas album, doesn’t celebrate Christmas herself.

Born into a Jewish family, the 82-year-old has always celebrated Hanukkah, not Christmas. Although Streisand isn’t particularly religious, she still identifies strongly with her Jewish roots.

In a 1982 interview with Esquire (per Unpacked), she explained that she was “a Jewess through and through,” even though she wasn’t religious in the traditional sense. So while her Christmas album is beautiful, it’s more of a musical gift for fans rather than a reflection of her personal holiday celebrations.