How Queensland celebrities spend Christmas
SOME of ueensland's most recognised faces and voices tell Confidential how they plan to spend Christmas, while revealing their festive season traditions.
CHARLI ROBINSON,
Getawaty presenter
"I'm usually happily in Port Stephens with my family for Christmas but they've banished me to stay in Brissy! My parents are worried I'll go into labour early and they want me close to my doctor. We had an early Christmas dinner and will FaceTime lots on Christmas Day. So my new tradition is being together with my partner Liam (Talnbot), I even made him buy a Christmas tree - the first he's ever had (now he really feels grown up)."
BIANCA DYE, 97.3FM'S Bianca, Mike and Bob
"My parents split when I was three-years-old and both sides of the family came together in unity for that one day on Christmas so that I could enjoy it. It's only as an adult I realise just how hard that must've been and what a lovely thing to do. This year, Christmas Day is a barbecue in the park across from us on the water with around 15 people - very low-key and we are doing Secret Santa because it's too hard to get so many presents I don't have the energy this year."
GEORGINA LEWIS,
10 News First presenter
"My mum's Trifle on Christmas Day is a Lewis family tradition. It would be a travesty for it not to be served for dessert. This year, Christmas came early for my family as most of us are travelling."
KATIE MATTIN, NOVA 106.9 presenter
"Christmas traditions are always new PJs and a hot chocolate for the kids on Christmas Eve (and wine for the parents) while we watch Elf. Then we'll put out a cookie for Santa and carrot for Rudolf before taking hours for the girls to get to sleep because they're too excited. We are having Christmas at home this year with lots of swimming and a seafood barbecue and my aunty is coming over from the UK for three weeks."
REBECCA GILES, Family Food Fight 2018 winner
"Mum regularly had to change her brand of sticky tape because I would lead the charge in locating and snooping on any Christmas presents she had hidden each year and I think one year she even stapled the present shut. I am Queensland born and bred, so I never leave. Christmas Day is spent with my family and usually consists of me spending the whole day in the kitchen with a glass of bubbles."
BRAD WOOD, HIT105'S Mornings Announcer
"This year, the plan is to start the day full of hope and belief that "I absolutely won't go back for seconds this year" - a lie I know ends in disaster… And third helpings."
SHARYN GHIDELLA, 7 News presenter
"Christmas is big in our household. Every year, we see if we can spot Santa in the night sky on Christmas Eve and the children always leave him a note with milk and cookies. He clearly appreciates the effort, as he rarely disappoints. As always, I'm spending Christmas with my family, which is a lot of fun. It's such a wonderful excuse to catch up and over indulge in turkey, ham and Christmas pudding."
LAWRENCE MOONEY, Triple M presenter
"Normally, Christmas is spent with the whole family plus my nephews' girlfriends are now part of the picture. Throw in parents-in-law and ring-ins it's recently peaked at 18 for as sit down Christmas dinner. But, this year, we are going overseas and spending Christmas in Hawaii. It's all grass skirts, leis and coconut bras for this summer."
"RANGER" STACEY THOMSON, Totally Wild presenter
"For years now, our Christmas features a cold lunch with meats, seafood and yummy fresh salads. The whole family gathers early to open presents and then the feasting begins. We normally have Christmas pudding made from a Thomson family recipe that goes back a few generations. The original recipe contained an ingredient called suet, which is a hard white animal fat, ewww, so we substitute that with a more appealing alternative. I've got a couple of weeks off over the Christmas/New year period, which I'll spend chilling with the family."
ASH BRADNAM, NOVA 106.9'S Ash, Kip and Luttsy with Susie O'Neill
"Christmas is shared between my family and (my wife) Jodie's. On Christmas Eve, we have a big dinner at our house and then Christmas Day is spent at mum's. It's usually the only time I play cricket these days and usually it renders my right shoulder unusable for the week after due to my killer speed off a short run up. That and the fact I dislocated it about 20 times back when I used to play footy."
S AMANTHA HEATHWOOD, Nine Regional News presenter
"Our Christmas traditions start in early November because we're all Christmas fanatics. The traditions include buying three new decorations for our tree, making our special White Christmas treats, mum making her delicious ham, singing lots of carols, visiting the lights, and eating way too much. We are going to the beach for Christmas for the first time in years, and I'm so excited. I can't wait for my children to experience Christmas the way I did as a kid."
ANDREW WINTER, Gold Logie nominee and host of Love or List it andSelling Houses Australia
"I don't care how old the kids are, Santa still comes visiting as long as they've been good, so that's a tradition, and we've got to leave the magic key out because we don't have a chimney - one of my daughters made the magic key at school many, many years ago so that Santa can get in. Christmas this year is a family Christmas on the Gold Coast, of course - where else would it be? - Friends, family, boating, swimming pool, beaches, all the usual perfect Christmas ingredients. I'm well and truly Australianised when it comes to Christmas. I actually spend a lot of Christmases in Australia before we even lived here, so I'm kind of over the cold, miserable, grey Christmases of the northern hemisphere."
