Christina Milian & Daughter Violet’s European Holiday Traditions Feel Straight Out Of A Christmas Movie

If you’ve ever fantasized about packing up your family and spending the holidays hopping around Europe by train (*raises hand*), Christina Milian has a message for you: Yes, it’s as dreamy as it sounds, and 100%, you should do it. As someone who didn’t need much convincing, hearing that from Christina — forever that girl — has me already digging into how I can get my family across the Atlantic next Christmas.

Christina, whose cool-girl energy only seemed to get even cooler when she became a mom, has spent the past two years raising her family in Paris, so they’ve basically become pros at traveling by train. In fact, she swears it’s changed the way they travel as a family forever. Now, she and her 15-year-old daughter, Violet, have teamed up with Trainline for their first-ever campaign together, helping families dreaming about their next big vacation.

Listen, I spent some very formative years dancing to Christina’s early-2000s hits like “Dip It Low” and watching her in movies like Love Don’t Cost a Thing and Falling Inn Love. I also enjoy a good excuse to take a trip with my teen. So, when I got the chance to sit down with the mother-daughter duo, it was a no-brainer. Here’s what the pair shared about European rail travel, the things teens prioritize when traveling, and which holiday movies they’ll happily watch on repeat.

Oh, and fans of Christina’s holiday films? Don’t worry… she says that train (sorry, not sorry) isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Scary Mommy: You’ve been in Paris for a few years now — what surprised you most about how easy European rail travel makes family adventure?

Christina Milian: They're so used to doing it. One thing that's amazing about Europe, you don't realize how close everything is. And, like, you can capture a little bit of culture from each country while you're moving by train. I think the reason why it's such a normal thing for them and for families is that they really do appreciate a holiday, they appreciate their downtime, they appreciate culture, and they make it so much easier for you to do it by train.

We just show up, and we're right there. We get there and we just look at the big screen — it tells you where to go, where you're getting off, and where you're boarding. It’s mapped out for you … you don't have to overcomplicate the pre-travel part.

SM: The research shows that 86% of kids wish they were more involved in family travel. Violet, what are some choices you like to make when you guys are traveling?

Violet: Probably making sure that we have our stuff gathered!

CM: You like to kind of pick things that you do. Like, for Violet, she likes to shop. So her thing is gonna be like, ‘Mom, I wanna go shopping. Oh, I heard that there's, you know, an Abercrombie & Fitch in…’ which, by the way, they're not everywhere, so when she hears there's an Abercrombie, or she hears something that's maybe related to the U.S. that's gonna be in Europe, she wants to go check that out.

Or sometimes we find things like food. I think we share a lot of food places, especially on social media, and she tends to be the one who looks for the reviews.

SM: Something I thought was really interesting was how much teens and tweens are driven by foodie moments when they travel.

CM: Yes. She's like, What's gonna look good, or I heard this, or she'll be like, Mom, I heard that's not good. I'm like, Bro, we're gonna try it anyways, because I need to find out for myself.

SM: Definitely! For U.S. parents intimidated by planning a European trip, what’s the “starter itinerary” you’d recommend?

CM: I think it depends on the personality. Food is one of the things that I think people kind of chase. Find out what's big in that culture. If you're going to Italy, you're going to want to go have pasta. If you're going to Naples or Napoli, you're gonna wanna have the pizza, you know? So you kind of find out what's the staple thing there.

Also, museums. If you're gonna go someplace, of course, it's great to see the view and to be outside, and I love to be outdoors and touch the cobblestone, and walk around and just kind of become part of the community. But it's all about the museums. I love to find out the history, and at least for sure, art … I think art kind of, like, brings us together, and then usually at those museums, you can find out a little bit more about the history of that country.

SM: What’s one thing you bring every single time you travel?

V: My phone, obviously. Sometimes I like to bring a journal to draw, or, like, a little notebook just to write things down.

CM: I always pack snacks for everybody. Everybody's gotta have snacks. But they always have really good snacks usually on the train because we go to the little cafe and stuff. So I like to, like, have just enough to keep the kids going throughout the ride.

And then, for me, I like to bring Uno. I bring card games. Or sometimes I’ll even, like, knit or something. I've got a little knit kit — I'm still trying to learn it, but I like to do little simple hobbies. It's peaceful in the train, let's just chill … everybody's got something to do.

SM: How has traveling together changed your relationship?

CM: I think it's different because we get to kind of lean into each other a little bit more about making the decisions of what we're gonna do … we kind of been trusting each other. By making those kinds of special memories together, we're able to tell these stories and have these moments that are really special to us later on. And because Violet's the big sister, I think I lean on her to really help us with the younger kids. You get to see her maturity, and you get to see how helpful she is as a big sister, too, when it comes to us having this special time together. We still make it fun, even though sometimes it can be stressful with little kids.

SM: I could feel the big sister energy when she mentioned making sure all your stuff is ready for travel. I'm also a big sister, so… I felt that!

CM: Oh yes, me too.

SM: The holidays are coming up fast. What are some traditions you brought with you from the U.S., and what are maybe some new ones you’ve picked up living in Paris?

CM: We're back to food. But, you know, everybody — all our friends in Paris — they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so they get really excited watching, through social media, how we celebrate Thanksgiving. What I tend to do is now, like for the last two years, I've brought Thanksgiving food from the States, like, stuffing, cranberry sauce… these are things that they don't eat over there. Mac and cheese. I even order a turkey because they don't really just have turkeys readily available there. I do a Thanksgiving situation for everybody.

I think the American way, for sure, is to begin your holiday decorations really early. They kind of wait maybe till the end of November, start of December, and I start in October. But with them, they have Christmas markets everywhere. When they do get into it, like, you're fully diving into it. When we go to Strasbourg, there are streets just filled with people, food, Christmas everything, souvenirs. Lots of souvenirs. So we love traveling over there, and that shows us the different side of what the holidays are like from there to here.

SM: I was going to ask if European Christmas markets are as amazing as we all dream of them being, and it sounds like yes.

CM: Yes. I love it. It's pretty dreamy! It’s something we plan for every year, and it's exciting when we can bring friends or family that come from out of town. For the past six or seven years, we've been going, and I make a video every time we go. Some years it's snowing, and it's like straight out of a Christmas movie. It's amazing, especially Strasbourg — it's one of our favorite Christmas markets.

SM: You’ve starred in a few holiday movies. Any we can hope for in the future?

CM: Oh, absolutely, I'm not stopping that train. That train's rolling, and I'm still riding it. It's one of my favorite things to do. I love the magic in a holiday movie. It’s one of those really special feelings at the end of the year that everyone's searching for: that cozy, warm feeling of knowing what you're gonna get out of it, especially if it's a romantic comedy. But a lot of my movies I've done usually tend to be a little different every time, so I've gotten to spice things up, and it's always fun.

So, yes, I'm working to write more movies like that … this time, also behind the scenes as a producer, like on Meet Me Next Christmas, but maybe also as a writer, with my mom.

SM: That's so exciting! Speaking of holiday movies, Violet, what is a holiday movie that you could watch on repeat?

V: Home Alone is a good one. I recently circled back to it because my brother started watching it, and I was like, ‘Wow, I haven't seen this in a long time.’ And then it went on repeat.

SM: How about you, Christina?

CM: My favorite is A Christmas Story. The one that's like, You'll poke your eye out! Man, since I was a kid, I could watch that over and over again, and if it's on TV, I'm stopping to watch that movie.

You know what else is one of my favorites, too, is Four Christmases — the one with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. That one also became a classic for me. I haven't watched it, actually, now that I think about it, the last two years, but when I watch it, I just laugh my butt off.

This interview has been edited lightly for length and clarity.