Zooey Deschanel’s 2 Children Make Rare Appearance with Her at Holiday Event: ‘They Were Very Polite and Well Behaved’

Zooey Deschanel is a fun and festive mom!

The actress, 44, attended an event for The Simpsons’ latest holiday special, “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” on Friday, Dec. 13, when she was accompanied by her two children, daughter Elsie Otter, 9, and son Charlie Wolf, 7.

Deschanel was also joined by fiancé Jonathan Scott during the rare outing with her kids, whom she shares with ex-husband Jacob Pechenik.

“Both kids were very polite and well-behaved, and were excited to be there,” an onlooker tells PEOPLE of Elsie and Charlie. “They seemed very normal and were even shy when their mom introduced them to Weird Al Yankovic.”

“Jonathan was great with both kids and held Charlie’s hand while standing around waiting for Zooey,” they add of the Property Brothers star.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Scott, who proposed to Deschanel in August 2023, has taken an active role in Elsie and Charlie’s lives and considers himself their “bonus dad.”

“I always knew I would be a great dad — former clown, magician, I can build stuff — and it’s been incredible,” he told Today in 2023. “You see your life transform, your priorities become your kids, and when they have a performance that they’re doing at school, or working on some of their homework, or whatever it might be, it’s a joy.”

However, Scott has also admitted that his role as a “bonus dad” isn’t always so simple.

“One thing that was a struggle early on was that the kids didn’t necessarily run up and jump in my arms and give me a big hug,” he explained in a video on his website last year. “I also remember several times where they’d be out with other kids and someone would say, ‘Oh your daddy’s so funny,’ and they’d be like, ‘That’s not my daddy, he’s my Jonathan.’ So that would hurt a little bit.”

The Simpsons‘ latest special Christmas-themed double episode premieres on Disney+ on Dec. 17, timed to the 35th anniversary of the series’ original holiday special.