The GREATEST GIFT

There are two types of people in the world: those who celebrate Christmas Day sharing plates piled high with food, Christmas cracker jokes and thoughtful handwritten cards with their loved ones around the family table; and those who think it’s just another day and hit up the Hungry Jack’s drive-through for lunch. Ellidy Pullin is the latter.

In a case of opposites attract, Ellidy fell in love with Alex Chumpy’ Pullin, the Olympic snowboarder, who always rushed home from competing overseas during the northern winter to be with his family at Christmas.

“I met Chumpy in 2013 and I literally had a Whopper burger meal for Christmas lunch that year, while he spent it with his parents and sister at their home in Eden. I didn’t tell Chumpy that for years because I was embarrassed about how low-key my Christmas was compared to his,” says Ellidy, smiling at the memory. The only Christmas tradition we had in our family was my brother and me getting our dad a 4 stick of surfboard wax as a gift. Every year, it was the same. And every year, he was stoked.”