Hoda Kotb Refuses to Get Her Young Daughters This Specific Christmas Gift: ‘A Big No’

Hoda Kotb shared some of the gift requests that her daughters had for Christmas this year and what she immediately said no to.

“They want makeup, but what is that about?” Hoda, 60, said during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday, December 18. “That is not happening. What are we talking about? All these little kids, like young kids, 7, 8, 9, are into skincare and stuff. But we don’t have that in my house. That’s a big no.”

While Haley and Hope will not be getting any makeup for Christmas this year, Hoda said there are a couple of other things on her girls’ Christmas lists.

“They asked Santa for magic sets. They like magic sets,” the mom of two revealed. “They like American Girl dolls. What else are they into? They’re into anything with bubbles.”

Hoda shares Haley and Hope with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. It will be the first Christmas that Hoda and her daughters will be spending in their new suburban home.

Just recently, the broadcaster unveiled her Christmas card for 2024. In the photo, Hoda is holding Hope, 5, in her arms while Haley, 7, stands next to her in front of the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Hoda explained that she decided to take the photo in front of the landmark after going to see Elf on Broadway with her kids.

“We went to see Elf yesterday and we got the picture. [I ordered the cards on] Shutterfly. Hit the button. That’s what you do. We just did it right there at the tree,” she said during an episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna.

The Christmas card simply says “Merry Christmas” at the top, with Christmas lights around the border.

“You’re really leaning into that old school decorating trend that we talked about on the show,” Jenna Bush Hager said after Hoda unveiled the holiday card.

Jenna’s family’s Christmas card was a bit more out of the box. On the front of the card, Jenna and her husband, Henry Hager, were dressed in normal attire with their kids, Mila, Poppy and Hal. On the back of the card, they all wore interesting costumes.

“What is this?” Hoda asked when she saw Jenna’s unconventional Christmas card.

“We are dressed as olden times people. Hal is a dinosaur or a dragon,” she explained. “And [we’re] just wishing you hope ever after. You know what I mean?”

Hoda pointed out that everyone looked “cranky” but Jenna assured her that was not the case when they snapped the photo.

“No, that’s our look. We said, ‘Pose in a certain way.’ And everybody brought out their best faces,” Jenna said, to which Hoda replied, “Are you sure? Is that what happened?”

“I think so,” Jenna confessed.

Of course this holiday season has been bittersweet for fans of Today, as it is Hoda’s last as a member of the Today team. She hosted her final Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on December 4, getting visibly emotional at the event while standing next to cohost Savannah Guthrie. Her final episode of the talk show will be on January 10.