The LIFE Christmas Family Album

Some of your favourite people of 2012 share their family Christmases with LIFE

This year we're going to be having Christmas dinner at home in our place. There'll be 13 or 14 of us, which is actually not that many compared to usual. Me and Mum will cook, and it'll be half Italian and then turkey and all the trimmings.

We're having a Norwegian Christmas the day after, when Kas's daughters and mother arrive. We were thinking about going to Norway but Kas's mum's house is up in the mountains and it was going to be about minus 30 and I didn't think Thor would be able for that.

It's Thor's first Christmas, so we wanted to do it in our own home and do up our own tree. I prefer a real tree and it has to be really big. One Christmas, and I think I was living in London at the time, I had a white-themed Christmas, but it didn't really feel like Christmas. So now I just do all gold and red and keep it traditional.

On Christmas Eve, I go into town and even though I'm a very organised person, I love the panic of last-minute buys and then queuing up in the Shelbourne for a drink with all your bags. I go to Christmas Eve mass with my mum in Castleknock. We love the priest there and the candles lighting and everyone dressed up in all their finery.

On Stephen's Day, all the cousins get together. There'll be, like, 40 or 50 of us and we'll play an Italian card game, Scopa, and drink Peroni beer and eat all the leftovers. Virginia stars in ‘Dublin Wives’ which will air on TV3 in early 2013. See www.virginiamacari.com Jeanelle and Thea wear dresses by Herve Leger from Cari’s Closet, 11 New St, Malahide, Co Dublin, tel: (01) 845-7593, or see www.cariscloset.ie. Thor wears clothes from Petit Baby & Children’s Wear, see www.petit.ie