Erin Conroy & Guy

By fate and good luck – and by meeting almost 20 years ago – Seven Sharp reporter Erin Conroy and her fiancé Nick Molineaux have avoided the logistical nightmare that befalls many couples on Christmas Day. Because both sets of parents come from the Motueka area in Nelson, all the grandparents will be able to join in on little Guy’s first Christmas. For most of Erin’s life, Christmas has followed the same “full noise summertime” schedule. There’s a big breakfast at home, then the whole family tootles on down to either the Motueka River, or Kaiteriteri Beach, to laze around in the sun. “Everybody brings food and all the families have a picnic,” the 36-year-old says. “The day just disappears: swimming, eating, swimming, eating, and then collapsing on the couch and watching whatever cheesy rom-com happens to be on the TV. Who doesn’t love a little Love, Actually every single Christmas?” Keeping the festive period as low-key and family orientated as possible is one of the traditions Erin hopes to pass along to Guy, who will turn one in January. It’s also a lesson she’s trying to keep in mind for her own Christmas experience this year, as a first-time mum. “You have to manage your own expectations, because you might make this great effort and they might be ho-hum about it,” she laughs. “Being under a year old, it could be a regular old day for him. But it will be very exciting to see what he makes of it all!”