This year Christmas will be an extra special time for Ryan Gosling and his long-term partner Eva Mendes. The couple are celebrating their second festive season with their daughter Esmeralda, who at 15-months-old, is just about starting to see what Christmas is all about.
"This will be our first Christmas where [Esmeralda is] sort of taking it all in," Ryan told HELLO!'s sister publication HELLO! Canada. "So that's exciting."
Fatherhood has come easy for the star of The Notebook, who said it's "not rocket science" and devotes as much love and attention to his partner Eva.
© Photo: RexRyan Gosling said the one thing he looks for in a woman is "that she's Eva Mendes"
"I know that I'm with the person I'm supposed to be with," said Ryan, adding that the one quality he looks for in a woman is "that she's Eva Mendes."
"There's nothing else I'm looking for," he said.
The actor admitted that he isn't as excited about his mum's choice of holiday tunes. "She's obsessed with the Hanson Christmas album!" said Ryan. "No disrespect to Hanson, they're very talented kids, but I think I've heard that record enough. I'm sure it will be on a loop this Christmas as well."
© Photo: Getty Images"This will be our first Christmas where [Esmeralda is] sort of taking it all in, so that's exciting," said the actor
The 35-year-old and his girlfriend Eva, 41, started dating shortly after meeting on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines. They welcomed their daughter in September 2014, having successfully kept Eva's pregnancy a secret until the later stages.
Unsurprisingly, their daughter's first birthday was also a super private affair, with around 20 friends and family members invited.
"It was a quiet and casual party," a source told Us Weekly. "Not the typical celebrity first birthday blowout with vendors and other celebrity guests. It looked like it was just their simple style and more about family and close friends coming together to celebrate Esmeralda."
Ryan's sister Mandi reportedly bought a homemade birthday cake for her, while Eva's mother and sister arrived early to help set up the party.
Speaking previously to Glam Belleza Latina, Eva revealed: "They sing (my daughter) all these Cuban nursery songs that I forgot my mum used to know… I'm so happy that my little girl gets to grow up with this."
