Merry SWISS-MAS!

Santa's hovering over rooftops, but Michèle's still on the fence. Noel, never mind...

- MICHÈLE A'COURT Musings from our favourite Kiwi funnywoman

What are you doing for Christmas?” It’s a simple enquiry that should come with an easy answer, but this year it feels like a question meant for someone else.

No doubt by the time you read this, I will have a plan, but at the time of writing, I don’t have a definitive reply and in a world where everyone else seems to have a clear idea of venue, guest list and menu, I am weirdly relaxed about that.

I grew up with the traditional family Christmas — my grandmother loved all that festive joy, so there’d be a tree at our place, hot lunch of roast chicken and a steamed pudding with coins in it, followed by afternoon naps.

After Grandma died and my parents had moved to Auckland, I'd host it for our smallish extended family — a dozen or so people at most — and we embraced a more climate-appropriate lunch of salads and salmon with berries and trifle. We kept the afternoon naps, though. And the Christmas decorations, crackers and hats.