Kylie Gillies

We all know Christmas revolves around food and in every family there’s a favourite dish that epitomises the day. For Kylie Gillies, that dish is her mother’s trifle.

“Regardless of the weather or where we are, it’s not Christmas unless Mum does her trifle,” Kylie says. “She doesn’t do it at any other time of the year. We can ask and she’s like: ‘no, no. It’s Christmas’. So it’s always Mum’s trifle which she soaks in sherry.”

Frocking up is also mandatory, Kylie says, as are paper crowns. “There’s no restraint. There’s never a theme. It’s all of our favourite things.”

One year, as a Christmas present to husband Tony, Kylie transferred the old family movies onto DVD. Everyone gathered around the TV and laughed at memories from times past, and a new family tradition was born. “In the afternoon we’ll get home movies out,” she says. “We can spend the afternoon looking back and the kids get a big laugh from looking at Mum and Dad.”