WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
THE STARS OF SUNRISE ARE EXCITED TO HOST YOU AT THIS YEAR’S CAROLS IN THE DOMAIN
Deck the hall with boughs of holly! Once again, it’s time to celebrate the beauty and joy of Christmas with the Sunrise team from Brekky Central.
TV favourites Samantha Armytage, David ‘Kochie’ Koch, Natalie Barr and Mark Beretta are back to Jingle Bell Rock as hosts of the 2017 Woolworths Carols In The Domain.
The gig is a gift for this bunch of self-confessed ‘Christmas nuts’ who like nothing better than a visit from Santa, followed by a jolly get-together with family and friends.
‘There’s always magic in the air at Woolworths Carols In The Domain,’ says father-of-four Kochie, 61, who remembers childhood Christmas singalongs around his grandmother’s piano.
‘It’s what Christmas is all about – sheer joy and wonder
and smiles, all coming together.’
But Kochie is not alone in loving Christmas, as New Idea discovered in a candid chat with the awesome Sunrise foursome. For them, as for so many of us, Woolworths Carols In The Domain always kicks off the festive season with a bang...
What does Woolworths Carols In The Domain mean to you?
SAMANTHA: It’s a sign that Christmas is really here. It’s work for us, but it’s lovely work and, as with Christmas generally, it’s all about kids. It’s an honour to be able to host the show. MARK: Honestly, hand on heart, it’s my favourite night of the year – there’s such a buzz. There’s no separation between the stage and the audience, it feels like one big, happy family. It’s just magic! KOCHIE: I’ve been going for years, and years, and years, and it was always a bit of a dream to actually host Woolworths Carols In The Domain. I love
looking out and seeing the different stages of the night on the faces of the kids in the audience. At the start, they’re all wide-eyed and awake and up dancing. Then they start to get a bit tired and a lot of them go to sleep, before they get their second wind for the fireworks. NAT: When I moved to Sydney 23 years ago, Woolworths Carols In The Domain was one of the first things I ever went to, and I’ve been going ever since. I can’t believe I’m on stage now! Carols is like nothing else – it’s iconic, heart-warming, beautiful.
Do you have any special Christmas family traditions?
SAMANTHA: A glass of champagne while my nieces and nephews open their presents, because you should do as you please. It’s early in the morning, but it puts me in the Christmas mood! MARK: Believe it or not, our tradition is actually going to Woolworths Carols In The Domain! KOCHIE: The entire family sleeps at our place on Christmas Eve – the kids insist on it – and each year I buy matching pyjamas for everyone, from the smallest of grandkids to my 84-year-old mum. This year there will be 15 of us. We’ve done Disney, circus, cows and clowns, but this year’s theme is a secret until the day. I don’t want to spoil the surprise. NAT: We’re so stupidly traditional, I can’t imagine ever doing anything different from the big roast lunch at home! My dad, who passed away 16 years ago, always insisted on hot turkey and ham – I love it. I feel like I can have cold meat and salad any other day of the year.
How do you plan to celebrate this year?
SAMANTHA: I’m hosting Christmas for the first time this year at my place, for all the family. My sister is coming from overseas with her husband and two kids, my brother and his wife are bringing their three kids, plus there’s Mum and Dad, two dogs, four chooks and God knows who else! I’m a little apprehensive. MARK: We often go down to Geelong, where I grew up, for a big family Christmas. But this year we’re staying in Sydney, so it will be just our little family with a few friends dropping in. We will probably go down to Bondi for an early morning swim. Christmas isn’t Christmas without
some time on or in the water. KOCHIE: At home with most of the family – a couple are overseas this year – as usual. NAT: We’re going down south this Christmas, but I’ve already checked out the local butcher and put in my order for turkey and ham. I just have to decide on the stuffing now!
Is there a Christmas gift you secretly crave?
SAMANTHA: If I put on my mercenary hat, there’s a bracelet at Paspaley! But I also love stuff for the house. I’m a Virgo, so I like things that keep you organised – stationery, nice coathangers, jewellery boxes or little pots for my earrings on the dressing table. MARK: To be able to ride my bike again. I’m pretty close, but if I can do it by Christmas, that would be really good. KOCHIE: An AFL premiership! I’m president of Port Adelaide and we’re always hopeful. NAT: I really don’t want any presents, I just want to share that roast lunch with my family and know that they’re happy, safe and healthy – especially my son Lachlan, who just got his ‘L’ plates!
Does Santa get a Christmas treat at your place?
SAMANTHA: On Christmas morning at home, there would be snow/talc on the doormat. We liked to see Santa’s size-11 gumboot prints and reindeer poo – which looked amazingly like sheep poo – on the lawn. Santa always drank VB when he came to our house, not milk. Funny that! MARK: My daughter Ava loves baking, so she cooks something for Santa – it could be brownies, or choc chip biscuits – and I always make sure he has a beer to drink. By the time he gets to Australia, it’s a long journey, so a beer is essential. He seems to always drink it too! KOCHIE: He enjoys a glass of port at our place, but I tell you, the reindeer can get a bit messy. There’s usually a bit of chewed carrot on the grass outside, which the grandkids wonder over. NAT: My mum’s a great baker and makes the best traditional Christmas cake every year – soaking the fruit for weeks and weeks and weeks beforehand. The first cut is always reserved for Santa, and we put buckets of water out on the front lawn for his reindeer, as well as a few apples and carrots.
What’s your favourite carol or Christmas song?
SAM: You can really belt out Hark The Herald Angels Sing, but my favourite is Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. You’ve got to blast a bit of Mariah at Christmas time, that’s a highlight! MARK: I love them all, but if I had to pick one, Jingle Bell Rock gets everyone up and going with a bit of gusto. KOCHIE: Little Drummer Boy – I loved it as a kid and I still do. It has a nice message and sums up what Christmas is all about. NAT: Those stirring, old-fashioned carols like Hark The Herald Angels Sing, or Joy To The World. They’re the ones that give me goosebumps, and sometimes even a little tear in my eye.
What are you grateful for this Christmas?
SAMANTHA: I have a very good life and I’m very aware of that. It’s been a really lovely 2017 – my baby dog Banjo has brought me great joy – so bring on 2018! MARK: Definitely my family and friends. I’ve had a rough time with a couple of medical things this year, and that puts things back into perspective. When it’s crunch time, that’s all you think about – your family and friends. I’m grateful for every day I spend with them. KOCHIE: My wife Libby and I are patrons of a youth centre out at Macquarie Fields in western Sydney and we’ve built a special friendship with that community, who are doing it really tough. We go out there every couple of weeks, and last year we had Christmas lunch there. It’s something pretty special for us, and I’m grateful for that. NAT: I’m most grateful to have a loving family, and that I’m happy and healthy. Simple things, but not everyone is lucky enough to have them. At Christmas time, I sit back and that’s what I think about.