Some well-known Australians, including Ray Meagher and Tanya Hennessy, reminisce about past childhood Christmases.
SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE PERSONALITIES RECALL THEIR COUNTRY CHRISTMASES.
THERE IS SOMETHING very special about celebrating Christmas on the land. Who could forget those hot summer days made even hotter by the arrival of a Christmas roast, complete with all the traditional accompaniments. Here, some well-known Australians reminisce about their country childhoods and share their holiday memories from festive food tragedies and much-anticipated catch-ups with extended family to Lazy Susans gone awry and the ubiquitous Christmas Day cricket match.
TANYA HENNESSY
This comedian, radio announcer and author of Am I Doing This Right? spent her childhood Christmases in Eleebana on the shores of Lake Macquarie, NSW, and recalls one particular year when the meal prep was lost in translation. One year my aunt was supposed to bring Christmas food and she thought it was someone else’s turn, so we just ate whatever was left in the fridge. It was like, “Who wants Bega super slices and Jatz biscuits?” It was hilarious. Usually, the day is about food and if I’m not napping by midday it’s been a terrible Christmas.
SCOTT PAPE
This radio presenter, financial columnist and author of the bestselling financial guide, The Barefoot Investor, has fond memories of Christmases in Ouyen, near Mildura, Victoria. Christmas growing up was always so hot. It was about being around the family and my cousins — there would often be 20 of us running around. Our main thing to do was backyard cricket, and there was always too much food. Even now, heading back to Ouyen feels like home.
KAILANI CRAINE
This figure-skating champion, who has won several international medals and Australian national titles, remembers Christmases in Newcastle, NSW with all the trimmings. I love Christmas, it’s my favourite holiday. There are just three of us that celebrate Christmas, although my grandparents come for a meal on the day. It has to be hot because that means I’m in Australia and we get a big inflatable pool for our backyard. We create extravagant food like every single type of meat you can imagine, and cold prawns. Pavlova is a ritual in our family; it must always happen, we love it! One of my favourite Christmas memories was when I received a hot pink ipod Nano. I had wanted it all year. My parents wrote a note saying “the best things come in small packages”. I absolutely loved it. >
“Pavlova is a ritual in our family; it must always happen, we love it!” Kailani Craine, figure skater
RAY MEAGHER
This legendary television actor, best known for playing Alf Stewart on Home and Away, recalls a particularly memorable Christmas spent near Dirranbandi, Queensland, with his older brother, Col and Col’s thengirlfriend, Pat. I remember being at Pat’s family property — we ruffians had been invited over for Christmas lunch before Col and Pat were married. They had this wonderful white tablecloth and a setting with all the trimmings for a traditional Australian Christmas. They had the hot stuff, the cold stuff and everything in between, and there was a Lazy Susan with a bit of beetroot, stuffing, sauces and all sorts of things on it. I thought the beetroot looked all right and I’d never seen a Lazy Susan before, so I gave it a bit of a whip and the beetroot sauce went all over the white tablecloth. Poor Col thought he might be engaged soon, but that finished it! Luckily, they were very understanding and thought it was pretty funny.
STEVE BAXTER
This entrepreneur, investor, and one of the ‘sharks’ on the television series, Shark Tank, recalls a very early Christmas morning in his hometown of Emerald, Queensland. I remember waking my parents up at about 4.30am on Christmas morning when I was five or six years old and them being suitably annoyed. I felt so bad for waking them that I went and raked the yard, and managed to put one of those old-fashioned metal rakes through my big toe! We spent Christmas morning in Emerald Hospital getting it cleaned up with me screaming like a banshee.
SKYE MCALPINE
This blogger and author of A Table in Venice, who spent part of her childhood in Broome, loves all the traditional Christmas rituals. When I was little, we used to have Christmas at our house in Hampshire. My family would host a big party on Christmas Eve and I remember we would always eat roasted chestnuts. Father Christmas would sometimes pay a visit, too... it always felt so exciting. We had lots of other traditions like going to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, opening our stockings first thing in the morning, and singing Christmas carols. And every year, my mother would make her own brandy butter. I remember licking the wooden spoon and the mixing bowl and feeling so happy.
HUGH BOWMAN
This champion jockey from Dunedoo, NSW, recalls Christmases full of family fun. I have fond memories of Christmas; my mother was from Gunnedah, NSW and we’d alternate between spending the day there with her family and Dunedoo. There would be heaps of cousins and we’d have a great time playing cricket and swimming.
“There would be heaps of cousins and we’d have a great time playing cricket and swimming.” Hugh Bowman, champion jockey