Creating memories is what Christmas is all about. Viva asked
some favourite foodie and fashion people about their best times...
PETER GORDON, chef
KEY POINTS:
In 1979 my family were camping (as we did every Christmas) at Stony Bay, a favourite spot in northern Coromandel, and the one thing on my mind was whether or not Air NZ would employ me as an apprentice chef. As it turned out, after three interviews, they didn't, but I've enjoyed working for them as a consultant chef since 1996.
However, the tension that caused in my 15-year-old mind made the holiday
even more marvellous than normal. I fished with Dad and his mates till we couldn't catch any more, grilled my stepmum Rose's Christmas cake on the BBQ to be had with berries and cream, smoked fish, grilled
fish and ate it raw with lemon juice. I have no idea what presents I was given, but the food, the swims, the eel pond and my family, underscored with potential employment, made it the most memorable of Christmas breaks.
KAREN WALKER, designer
Last Christmas was my first day home with a 5-day-old baby. Yikes. A wonderful day but one that blurred with those around it: crying, feeding, nappies, learning how this new thing works. No instruction book. I remember having a glass of champagne. There was some sort of food but I've no idea what or who cooked it. Not me, that's for sure. There was a nap I think - grabbing 30 minutes whenever baby would allow. I suspect there were presents too but they probably all involved teddy bears and cotton onesies.
AIMEE MCFARLANE, Lonely Hearts co-designer
The most memorable Christmas I've ever had was the year we got our first trampoline, The whole morning Dad kept asking us what the weather was like outside - being about 6 years old I really wasn't that interested, until my little sister finally looked out and spotted it. Needless to say, four little kids jumping on a trampoline in sheer delight at 6am woke up most our neighbours who all came out to see what the commotion was. Best tramp ever!
ANJALI STEWART, Twentysevennames co-designer
My last Christmas was by far the most memorable. Rachel (Twentysevennames co-designer) and I had gone to England for our very first overseas adventure, and we were having Christmas with some of her family in the English countryside. There were lots of traditional English dishes on offer, but what I particularly remember was the gluten free Christmas cake, which was amazing! It was just awesome to have my first white Christmas, to be on the other side of the world and to be hanging with Rachel's awesome family. But it all got a bit too much when I came out of the bathroom to the full Easting clan singing Jingle Bells!
TONY STEWART, Clooney Restaurant
My most memorable Christmas was one of recent times. Our son Jude saw his first Christmas, Clooney had just had its first 2 months of trading and relations came from the polar extremes of London and Riverton to be with us in Auckland. The day started with a champagne breakfast. Having just been given a ridiculous amount of freshly caught crayfish, close friends joined us for cooked cray on the BBQ.
From here we started to prepare our main course for the day. New potatoes and carrots, dug that morning in Riverton were scrubbed, a rather large scotch fillet trimmed, crayfish tails were cut back, salads prepared, numerous condiments arranged and the table set on the deck. Not forgotten was a starter of seared yellowfin tuna with crackling pork and lemonade fruit. To finish, the traditional steamed Christmas pudding, a pavlova of spectacular size and spiced baby pears with stilton. All dishes matched superbly to a wide variety of wines.
Christmas presents don't play a major part with us, Jude though was an exception to the rule, something that may well go on for many Christmases to come. All in all, a most memorable Christmas.
JAMES DOBSON, Jimmy D designer
So many Christmases! (I'm feeling old suddenly). My favourite Christmases have been ones spent with close friends, loads of food, some good bottles of booze in the fridge and a nice cruisy pace to the day. As my family live in the UK, in the past I have attempted to re-create my family's traditional Christmas fare on a smaller scale, substituting a rack of lamb for the obligatory turkey, pheasant or goose but ended up stressed out, sweaty and worried I was going to ruin Christmas for everyone. So last year, to save me from tears, we went to yum cha, which may just become our own Christmas tradition ... turkey dim sums anyone?
KATHRYN WILSON, footwear designer
The best Christmas I can remember would be at our family bach in Pauanui where we spent Christmas day and holidays with our extended family and grandparents. Poor mum packed up the car with presents and Christmas food and we set up a less traditional lunch of a BBQ, champagne ham and fruit platters. Grandad dressed as Santa Claus in a red jacket and hat and handed out the presents to everybody. My mum has an open house policy with the "more people the better" attitude, so I loved having the house full of cousins, aunties and uncles and friends. We were at the beach so after eating we headed down for a swim and a sunbathe - couldn't think of a more perfect day!
SARA ASPINALL, Company of Strangers designer
Since I have an aversion to Christmas, my best Christmas was last year, running away from the usually crazy Christmas of going from house to house eating up to four dinners in one day ... Having dreaded it for a month, my then-4-year-old and I boycotted the traditional ham dinners and escaped to Kaiteriteri, at the top of the South Island, to stay with my best friend. On Christmas Eve we slept in a tent right by the ocean, I played Santa for my daughter (after a few too many Xmas beverages) and woke up not remembering where I'd hidden the presents. The hunt was on for real! Swimming all day, a fantastic BBQ and a few more Christmas beverages, a real Kiwi Christmas and not a ham or Christmas cake in sight. Definitely my best ever Christmas. Why am I not doing it again this year?
EMILY MILLER-SHARMA, Madame Hawke designer
Last year! I was staying at my brother's place in London while he was away, so myself and three of my friends decided to have a 24-hour Hawaiian Christmas extravaganza. This mostly translated to Hawaiian music all day long. My favourite song was the "hikulau". I had got back from Nurenberg the day before Christmas, went to the supermarket (where it looked like the world was ending; there was basically no food on the shelves), did some baking and went to sleep in the house on my own.
I woke up and had a silent breakfast of tinned peaches and peach iced tea (a Christmas present from a friend), opened my presents from home (Mum had wrapped them in New Zealand flags which was funny because my brother's girlfriend had just thrown out the last new Zealand flag that she had sent) and then three of my friends came and the Hawaiian party began. We had a Christmas tree with toast decorations that we kept adding to during the day and because we couldn't go outside we started to go crazy so once we got tired of decorating the tree we decorated out faces with duct tape.
LIAM BOWDEN, Deadly Ponies co-designer
My most memorable Christmas day would have to be last year's; it was spent in a beach house in Malibu with my family, we had a real traditional American Christmas Day. Well some might say traditional: all going to a Lakers game and then back to the kitchen where the kids made a traditional meal (bought from the supermarket) of turkey with cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and Budweiser, finishing off with a swim in the sea. A bit of a weird Christmas day but a memorable one.
ASHLEY FOGEL, designer
It was 2002 in New York City. I was with my wife, son and about 25 other people from around the world, who had come together to celebrate Christmas in a stunning rooftop apartment overlooking Manhattan. We ventured out into the freezing minus 5 degree Christmas Eve night to a gorgeous Episcopalian church on 5th Avenue to attend midnight mass before getting home in the early hours. And woke on Christmas Day to lots more wine and a huge Christmas dinner with ham, turkey and all the
trimmings, followed by opening of presents. What made it so special was being surrounded by my family and great people, all sharing the true spirit of Christmas.
DEANNA DIDOVICH, Ruby designer
Christmas Day in my family begins with my mum, dad, sister and myself having breakfast of smoked salmon, strawberries, cherries, and Champagne. We open gifts, and wait for family and friends to come round for a big lunch. I remember one Christmas day in particular at my Baba and Dida's house, I was quite young, and a friend of the family who owned a chocolate store brought around this huge chocolate Santa that was bigger then me. My sister and I tucked in, but I was so excited that I ate way too much and made myself sick for the rest of the afternoon. But I also was given a Barbie mobile home on the same day, so was quite happy!
SHONA LEE, Dem Penny Jewels designer
The best Christmases were when we'd drive from Wellington to Kaitaia to spend it with my grandparents. The day itself would involve a makeshift banquet table, made over the pool table, moved outside into the sun. Christmas baking, BBQ'ing, and roasting being done by the adults from first thing in the morning, resulting in a huge Christmas lunch with a separate smaller table set up for dessert. Throw in cousins the same age and a farm as a playground and it was childhood Christmas frenzied delight for the day!
As I hit mid-teens and we moved up there, this golden-hued kids' Christmas turned to seedy Christmas mornings, food, afternoon sleep... Still fun! But my memory is a bit hazy...
