KAT CHADWICK

A couple of years ago I went on a road trip with my mum. We travelled around the South Island of New Zealand and had the best time. Along the way, we came across a really great small-town op shop, and in it, I found a shoe box filled with fabulous 1940s Christmas decorations, including these two little pipe-cleaner Santas. They’re made from chenille and have hand-painted pressed-cardboard faces. They would have been red originally, but have faded to a lovely gingerbread brown. They’re each holding a strange little tree, too. I love how creepy they are, and the way their bandy legs cling onto branches. Every year I scout around the neighbourhood footpaths and parks for a small branch of just the right size and twiggyness – it’s then put in a big vase, and my treasured collection of ornaments is hung off it. These Santas, along with my other festive decorations (many of which are vintage finds) fill me with nostalgia and excitement each year. They remind me of all the wonderful Christmases I’ve had: the cheesy tunes, opening stockings in bed on Christmas morning, the sherry-soaked trifle, the bad cracker jokes – the lot! Basically, I just love everything about Christmas, and the opportunity to gather all my favourite things and display them together in a fun way.