DECK THE WARDS! It's a very Shorty Christmas

The stars of Ferndale reveal how they'll celebrate the silly season

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With Christmas just around the corner, our favourite Shortland Street stars are in full festive spirit, swapping holiday gossip as they shake the gifts under the tree at our Woman's Day shoot. Ferndale stalwart Michael

Galvin shares fond memories of growing up in a family of four children in Wellington. “When I was a kid and Christmas was the most crazy, magical thing, there were lots of presents because there were so many of us,” he smiles. “I was always worried that the bigger ones were for everyone else and not me. My favourite present to get was a board game because of the size - they look like proper presents!”

Like Michael, heavily pregnant actress Rebekah Randell’s love of the holidays began when she was little.

“My family started Christmas prep on Labour Weekend, where we would always bake the old-school, traditional cakes, then every few weeks, we'd brush them with brandy.”

With her daughter Isla now two, Rebekah loves recreating the same traditions, including Santa bringing the same gifts that Rebekah still receives today - “a decoration for the tree and a boxed of scorched almonds”!

Meanwhile, after years in the US, her costar Fleur Saville is looking forward to celebrating the big day in the heat.

She says, “I'm stoked to be back in New Zealand for a summer Christmas. There's nothing like it.”

Of course, no classic Kiwi celebration is complete without a rousing game of backyard sports. For Theo Dāvid and his whānau, that means “knee league”.

He explains, “We get on our knees, split off into teams and just go for it!”

Jane Wills also likes to start her day with a good workout. The Timaru-born star will hike up Mt Iron in Wānaka before tucking into some delicious kai.

As for her costar Mo Nasir, the actor says his festive superpower is nailing his last-minute Christmas list. “I only need to go to one shop and can buy eight gifts!” he boasts.