Kicking It With Kaley

Actress Kaley Cuoco Says Bye To "Big Bang Theory" And Hello To The Holidays

It hasn't been easy for actress Kaley Cuoco as her popular CBS sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory," enters its 12th and final season, with the finale scheduled for late spring.

"This ride has been a dream come true and as life changing as it gets, but no matter when it was going to end, my heart would have always been broken in two," laments the comedienne and producer, who has played her outgoing alter ego, Penny, since the Emmy-winning series first premiered in 2007.

As the 33-year-old wraps up these hectic last shows, she's looking forward to a relaxing holiday with family and friends - and spending time with her new husband, professional equestrian Karl Cook, whom she married this summer.

Also on her holiday to-do list: a gathering at her house.

"I adore hosting parties. I actually think, in another life, I was probably an event coordinator," she says. "I love decor and putting stuff like this together."

The actress has such a passion for decor, in fact, that she is a design professional with online retailer Wayfair, which did a complete makeover of her guest room in 2016.

When throwing a party, she says that having a theme is a must: "I think you should always pick a color and go with it. If you are doing red and gold, do everything in those colors. Definitely have a theme."

No matter what theme you choose, there are four essential ingredients for a perfect party, she told GMA.com: "Good food, endless drinks, music ... and dogs dressed in holiday attire."

Cuoco sets up a comprehensive mixology area for their holiday parties, she says: "I always have enough alcohol. Don't let your supply run out. We serve everything to our guests. Me and my husband have a very nice, full bar at our house. Whatever drink you name, we will make it for you. We are basically the best bar in town."

Guests will also find several varieties of beer on tap - including imports.

"This new Japanese craft beer trend is fantastic," she says. "I am a new beer lover for the past year and a half, two years. Before that, my drink was bourbon, which is funny, as I am enjoying barrel-aged beers now, which is a bit of an homage to bourbon."

But she won't be toasting the new year with champagne, she says: "I drink everything but champagne. Isn't that weird? I just don't enjoy it. It's a little too sweet for me. I would rather have a beer or wine."

Guests at her get-togethers always depart with something more than memories.

"I like to give them little gifts that they can take home, like a bottle of wine or something special that has to do with the event," she says. "Do something nice for your guests. I think that makes everyone feel really good."

Giving presents delights Cuoco, but wrapping them is just as much fun for her.

"I love gift wrapping. I hand-wrap every single gift with tons of different trinkets," she told ABC News. "I like to add ornaments to the top of the wrapping, so it's a little extra gift on top of the gift. In fact, I've always dreamed of a special gift-wrapping room."

While Cuoco loves to cook, she leaves the holiday food prep to her husband, she says: "He is an amazing cook. He cooks everything for me. He doesn't eat meat or fish but will cook all of that for me. We cook a lot of vegetables; he has a garden as well. We have a ranch down south that he lives at, and we bring a lot of fresh vegetables to our table. I do the cleaning, and he does the cooking. It's great."

The newlyweds plan to spend more time together once "The Big Bang Theory" wraps. That will provide much-needed downtime for Cuoco, who has worked in Hollywood consistently since the age of 5, modeling and acting in numerous commercials. She also played a mini Ellen DeGeneres once and appeared in movies like "The Hollow" with former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, "Picture Perfect" with Jennifer Aniston and the Dreamworks live-action animated film "Hop."

Her big break came when she starred in ABC's "8 Simple Rules (for Dating My Teenage Daughter)" with John Ritter. Sadly, the series ended soon after the much-loved actor passed away.

Cuoco relished working with Ritter and learned many life lessons from him, she says.

"He told me secretly that he screwed up his lines all the time because the [live] audience loved to see him make fun of himself," she told Parade. "And I'm not going to lie: There are moments every once in a while when I do it, too. That's totally John sitting on my shoulder, saying, 'Okay, throw one in. Make a mistake and let them see that you're normal.'"

Cuoco was also on "Charmed" in its final season, and her character, the witch Billie Jenkins, came close to getting her own spinoff. Thankfully for "The Big Bang Theory" fans, that didn't happen.

Being on the longest-running multi-camera series in history has its perks: Forbes recently named her the second-highest-paid actress in television, earning $24.5 million this year.

But life after "The Big Bang Theory" holds new beginnings - and many intriguing ventures to keep Cuoco occupied, including executive- producing a new DC Universe animated TV series, for which she'll voice the character Harley Quinn.

Cuoco has extensive experience working in animation. After "8 Simple Rules" ended, she voiced many characters, including an arrogant dog who gets stuck in a rain forest with a rabbit in "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers."

She's also looking forward to working on an upcoming miniseries with Yes, Norman Productions, her production company, she says: "Next year, I am going to be shooting 'The Flight Attendant,' which is a book my production company and I optioned with Warner Bros. earlier this year. We are very excited about it."

The actress admits that she enjoys being on the other side of the camera.

"This was never a goal of mine," she says. "It's a very new idea. I took it and ran with it and absolutely love it. Our company is thriving. We have many projects in the making. We are thrilled with what is going to air next year."

And then there's the Southern California ranch that she and Cook recently purchased.

"We have a bunch of land, and we've definitely talked about doing something with it," she says. "I don't know if we will do a winery, grow grapes, etc., but I can see us getting into a [farm] business like that."

Cuoco, who was born and raised in Camarillo, California, was thrilled to find real estate just a few hours from Los Angeles.

"We kinda feel like we are away from the hustle and bustle," she says. "Obviously, LA is where our lives are. I want to be able to drive here when I want. But it's a nice place to have a family and have a bunch of animals running around."

Clearly, Cuoco has a passion for animals - and that includes riding and tending horses, she says: "We have many horses and animals and live on multiple farms together. We are constantly running around, working on them."

When asked what's on her bucket list, Cuoco says she'd love to join her husband as a professional equestrian.

"I would like to spend a good year show jumping and being a real equestrian," she says. "That's really what I would love to do."

No doubt she'll do it all - and we'll be watching. O