In the Kelce home, guests are treated like family. Whether you’re there for a summer potluck or a Sunday football watch party, you’ll experience the same comfortable, everyone-for-themselves atmosphere you’d likely find at your own family gatherings. Donna Kelce’s home is a no-frills environment: You won’t be served on fancy dinner plates, but there will be plenty of snacks out when you arrive, and you’re never expected to take your shoes off.
What Makes Her House a Home: Showcasing Family Memories
As the mother of two professional football players, Donna Kelce—also affectionately called Mama Kelce by her many fans—is the first to admit she doesn’t get as much family time as she’d like. That’s why her home decor is centered around her sons and the experiences they’ve shared.
“Like most parents whose children have left the house, you want to display memories that you’ve had with your kids, because you don’t get to see them very often—or at least I don’t, because they live in separate cities,” Kelce tells Better Homes and Gardens.
As you walk through her home, you’ll find photos and memorabilia dedicated to Travis and Jason—a decorating style Kelce says makes her feel connected to them, even when they can’t physically be together.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a shrine to my children, but because they’ve been very successful and they’ve had a lot of really good games, that’s pretty much what my back bedroom looks like—it’s full of their stuff,” she says. “And it’s fun because I can just reminisce about all the fun things and fun times I’ve had.”
Whether she’s traveling to one of their games or watching from the couch, she says these souvenirs are what makes her feel at home. “It’s just reliving memories, that’s all,” she says.
COURTESY OF DONNA KELCE / HELUVA GOOD!
Her Entertaining Must-Dos
Because family is at the center of everything she does, Kelce is big on entertaining—but she doesn’t stress too much about it. Her only true must-do is to have a clean home. “You obviously have to have a clean house,” she says, laughing. “It just goes with the territory when you have anybody over for whatever you do.”
Beyond that, she just wants everyone to come in, relax, and have a good time. She likes to have a few snacks or baked goods prepared ahead of time, so that once guests arrive she (and they) can just enjoy being together. Kelce, who partnered with Heluva Good! ahead of the Big Game on February 11 to create her own tailgating dip, gravitates toward casual dips and snacks that don't require re-heating, stirring, or maintenance throughout the evening.
“It’s whatever is easiest for you. You don’t want to go through the whole evening running after people, having to fill things up,” she says. “You want to have everything already out. If you need to improvise and do more then you can, but the best thing to do is just get it all done ahead of time.”
Mama Kelce’s House Rules
When it comes to rules in her house, Kelce’s guidelines are as laid-back as her entertaining style. She’s not worried about avoiding messes or adhering to strict guidelines when guests are coming over. She just asks that you enjoy yourself, and leave the bathroom as clean as you found it.
I just want everyone to have a great time. The only thing I ask is that the men lift the toilet seat-that’s about it.
“You’re going to have food that’s gonna drop, you’re going to have drinks that are gonna fall, I just want everyone to have a great time,” she says. “The only thing I ask is that the men lift the toilet seat—that’s about it.”
How Her Famous Cookies Came to Be
One thing that’s always on the snack spread at Mama Kelce’s house is her famous cookies. Or any baked goods, really.
Every Midwest mom has their go-to cookie recipe, and Kelce is no different. Her spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie (which includes both milk and white chocolate chips, along with a dash of cinnamon and sweet cream butter) became famous when she baked them for Jason and Travis before they competed against each other in the 2023 Super Bowl.
In fact, she attributes her love of baking to her sons. She explains that when Jason and Travis were growing up, they ate a lot—so cooking dinner for them every night became somewhat of a chore. “That’s something you absolutely had to do every night,” she says. “You had to plan it and figure out what you were gonna feed them, and with them eating as much as they did, it wasn’t really a fun experience for me.”
I’m a baker, I’m not a cook. It was more fun, because it’s where I got my creativity out. It just brings me joy.
Baking, however, became her creative outlet as she was raising her boys. “Basically, I’m a baker, I’m not a cook,” Kelce says. “Their dad did a lot of barbecue in the backyard, but mostly my job was baking. It was more fun, because it’s where I got my creativity out.”
And while her chocolate chip cookies are somewhat famous now, she’s not particular when it comes to baked goods. “I would do blueberry muffins, I would have some cinnamon marshmallow rolls, I would do cookies, cakes, that’s kind of what my go to was,” she says.
“It just brings me joy,” she says. “It’s almost like a science, so it’s not mundane.”