While you’ve been watching reruns of Friends, Courteney Cox has been building another empire. This time, it’s all about cleaning. Her brand, Homecourt, consists of cleaning products like dish soap and surface cleaners in the best-smelling scents like rose. For the holidays, she’s created scented candles in scents like fireplace and cookies. And she’s known to be a fabulous hostess.
As the year ends, Cox is letting go of everything. This year, she had highs like receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, starring in Scream VI, and continuing to build Homecourt. The Friends actress also had lows this year; in October, she lost her former castmate and friend, Matthew Perry, and she shared one of her favorite moments of him last month. “I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” she shared. Despite it all, talking to Cox feels like fresh air. She’s high-spirited and even a little silly — the energy you’d love to be around this time of year.
Let’s start off by talking about the end of the year. What’s one thing you did this year that you would do every year?
I’ve been cooking a lot and I’m just trying more and more new recipes, and I will do that next year because I really enjoy cooking.
Is there anything you regret doing this year?
Spending too much time micromanaging. I regret ruminating on things; I just need to make decisions. Sometimes it’s better to make a decision than try to find the perfect thing; sometimes you keep staying in motion, but you’re not going anywhere. So I regret not jumping into a lane and moving forward with certain things in my life.
Let’s talk about Homecourt. I’m obsessed with your candles. Tell me the story of how you got into the cleaning business.
During lockdown, it just seemed like the perfect time. There was a hole that was missing from the market of products that you would be proud to leave on your counter that work and that smell inviting. I wanted to create something that makes you want to pick up your counter spray and clean, or want to wash your dishes because you can’t believe that while you’re washing them, you’re also smelling this scent washing over your hands and in the room. It was just something that was necessary, having products in your home that you are proud of that serve a purpose. They’re recyclable and they come from recycled materials, too. They just fit all the categories into one. That’s important to me. It’s in a beautiful bottle that you pump instead of taking it and squirting it. It’s a ritual that I do enjoy. It did make cleaning more fun.
Do you have any deep-cleaning rituals before entering the New Year?
Everything must go. To me, A-plus or out. I’m someone who doesn’t want a junk drawer in the house. I’m not saying they don’t happen and they don’t accumulate junk, but nothing makes me happier than an empty drawer, nothing. If there were nothing in it, I’d be like, Oh, what can I put in the drawer that would make me happy? I don’t have any of those, but everything must go. That’s my motto for the new year.
Your Homecourt holiday scent, Balsam Fireplace, smells so nostalgic. What memories would you say that scent brings back for you around this time of year?
My daughter Coco is coming home from school on Sunday and we’re going to go get our tree, one of my favorite memories of what we do together every year. We always get the tree. She doesn’t help that much with the ornaments, she gets a little bored and goes to her room, but she always has to put whatever will go on top of the tree. She’ll get on someone’s shoulders and put the star, or I have this angel that I’ve had since I was … I don’t remember how old I was, but the angel looks drunk; it’s so ugly. I don’t know why I have it, but it’s either that, the star, or whatever comes out of the box first, but Coco puts it on, so that’s a good memory.
What’s the Christmas morning routine?
This is embarrassing, but I still put out reindeer cookies and I do carrots and stuff. And she’s like, Mom, it’s so stupid. I’m 19. I’m like, You don’t have to believe. It’s up to you. I don’t get her to believe there is Santa Claus, but somebody ate those cookies. I’m just saying.
What are you gifting yourself this year?
I’ve been doing a lot of wellness stuff. I gifted myself this hydrogen-water machine that hydrates the water. People always talk about alkaline water and ozone, there are a million different kinds, but I am drinking it right now. It’s supposed to be good for inflammation. I just gifted it to myself, it was a pretty expensive little machine. You must drink it 15 minutes after you pour [for the best effect].
What is your No. 1 rule for gift-giving?
I’m a practical gift giver, so I’m not going to buy something unless I know that you need it or something that I know that they’ll want. I don’t like to just have extra things. I’m not a clutter person at all, so I don’t want to do that to somebody else.
How about your No. 1 rule for holiday parties?
I like people to feel comfortable. I always want to ensure there’s enough food; that’s a big thing for me. People say, Can I bring a friend? I always get nervous, so to me, I would rather have more food and never run out and just great music. The lighting is key, and candles, of course. I light a candle every single night. I only light Homecourt because luckily, I’m obsessed with all the scents, but it’s true. It’d be so weird if I had another candle in the house and someone came over. I just got rid of all my other candles. I’ll be burning the Balsam Fireplace in one room, then another room will have Cypress Mint, and Rose will be upstairs, and I will just cover the house in candles. Every bathroom, too, that’s important.
That’s such a cozy routine.
I don’t know why I don’t during the day, but as soon as the sun starts to go down, I just light a candle. It’s almost like a habit.
We can’t talk about the holidays without talking about the GIF of you with the turkey on your head that surfaces every holiday season. I love the video you posted on Thanksgiving. What is your funniest symbol of the holiday season outside of that?
I can’t believe I did that. I really did it, but that was just disgusting.
I saw the video and I was like, She just seems so much fun.
Yeah, I’m pretty fun. I’m pretty silly. Instagram is such an interesting thing. It does make me want to be silly all the time. But another holiday funny thing is Snoop Dogg gave me a Snoop — it’s like an Elf on the Shelf, but it’s Snoop dressed up, and I have it in my kitchen, Snoop on a Stoop. If I could have come up with something like that, I think it’d be great because I love it. He’s adorable.
Wait, now I need a Snoop on a Stoop. That is hilarious. You keep it in your kitchen?
Yep, and he’s on his stoop. Snoop on a Stoop, everybody needs one.
