A very Campbell Christmas

A bleary-eyed Christmas morning, a “memory tree” and a pav with all the trimmings are some of the ways David Campbell and his family celebrate on December 25.

- GENEVIEVE GANNON

David Campbell laughs when wife Lisa announces that his Christmas tradition is “being bleary-eyed”. Every year, David captains Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve in Melbourne and then “comes back with Santa’s reindeer”, chasing down the magical sleigh and landing in Sydney around 2am.

For the past few years, the couple’s eldest son, Leo, has been working backstage on the Yuletide production, while twins Betty and Billy keep Lisa company, waiting for them to return.

“But it’s a good day,” David says. “The food keeps you going.” (He gives a special shout-out to Lisa’s twice-roasted potatoes.)

While Christmas Day might be a bit of a blur for David and Leo, there are plenty of other ways the family celebrates. Around the time “Mariah drops” on December 1 (when Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas and other festive numbers hit the airwaves), the tree goes up. In the Campbell household, this is a particularly meaningful activity.