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LOS ANGELES?It?s the day after Christmas: Yards of gift wrappers and boxes cram the trash bins. But, in ?Gossip Girl? Blake Lively?s family, they?re just beginning their quirky holiday celebration. Blake and other stars?Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Robin Wright Penn and Sam Rockwell?share their Yuletide thoughts, memories, plans and hopes for the New Year:

Blake Lively

We don?t celebrate Christmas until about one or two days later. That?s only my family?s ritual, because we haven?t wrapped the presents on time (laughter).

As a child, it was depressing to wake up on Christmas morning. While all my friends were opening their presents, we were still wrapping ours?and cooking. But, it was fun, because Christmas was spread out for a few more days. That?s one tradition we have.
We always watch ?It?s A Wonderful Life? and bake cookies. It?s such a nice time to not have anything to do for two weeks (her break from shooting ?Gossip Girl?). And, I?m looking forward to the release of ?The Town,? the movie I just finished.

Big break

Meryl Streep

I?m going to take a big break, because I?ve never worked this hard?not even when I was young and pretty. I think I made seven films in two and a half years. I?ve never done that before. I need a little refurbishment. Usually, I would get pregnant around this time (laughter). Since that?s not an option anymore, I?ll just take a break, cross-country ski, and go to the theater.

Robert De Niro

I try to get all the family together for Christmas. It?s sometimes difficult, because we have sort of a fractionalized family. But, my main thing is to get the kids together? and I do pretty well at that.

Matt Damon

I?m going back to work with Clint again in January, so that?s great news for me. The movie is titled ?Hereafter.? I?m going to come in toward the end of the filming. After that, I?m going to work with the Coen brothers. That?s really exciting, because I haven?t worked with them yet. Then, I?ll do a film with Steven Soderbergh.

Fun roles

I enjoy the chance to work with these guys and on all those fun roles. Each one is very different. Ultimately, I want to direct, so I?m learning as much as I can.

Sam Rockwell

I love to watch ?Bad Santa? during the holidays. I think it?s a great movie (laughter). It actually has a positive message in the end, when he (Billy Bob Thornton?s character) gives the kid a present. Billy Bob plays the classic misanthrope?the curmudgeon. But, I also love ?It?s A Wonderful Life? and ?Scrooged,? with Bill Murray.

As for memorable gifts when I was a kid, I once got a toy tower from ?The Guns of Navarone,? a movie with Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck. It was a plastic mountain toy, with all those army men and cannons. I also got an ?Alien? doll and a ?Star Wars? laser gun.

Julianne Moore

The hardest Christmas I had as a kid was when I turned 12, because I suddenly didn?t get toys anymore. It was my fault because I had said, ?I?m big now, and I don?t want any more toys.? So, all I got were books and ?The Invisible Woman.? Do you remember her? Ugh, it was horrible! It took forever to assemble.

My family watches ?The Year Without a Santa Claus,? because of the Heat Miser character. That?s the one my children love. It?s a TV show, but now, we have it on DVD. It really summons up Christmas for us.

Goofy cartoon

As I was growing up, it was always ?A Charlie Brown Christmas.? The funny thing is that you think you?re going to be nostalgic for ?Miracle on 34th Street.? But, we always ended up with a goofy cartoon.

As for our Christmas traditions, my husband (director Bart Freundlich) and son get the tree. My daughter and I get all the ornaments out. The kids always write letters to Santa. We always leave carrots for the reindeer. Then, we have a scavenger hunt for the last present. It?s a treasure hunt, with clues all through the house. So, that means, by the time we finish wrapping everything, it?s almost 12:30?and my husband is still writing the clue notes for the treasure hunt!

Robin Wright Penn

Our favorite Christmas movie is called ?A Christmas Story.? It has a little blonde kid with glasses. We watch it every Christmas. And, my family does a big Southern cookout, where we do cornbread stuffing with jalapeños in it.

Email rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com, and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.