Having a successful Christmas depends on many things: Scheduling your time appropriately to prepare boatloads of food, unanimously deciding to sleep in and of course for some, having enough beer to last throughout the entire day...
Luckily the Rules girls have provided us with a few tried and true rules on how to make this special day one to look forward to instead of dread.
Rule number 1: Hannah
"There has to be yummy food on the table, better looking than normal, otherwise it won't feel like Christmas."
Rule number 2: Jess
"Make sure everyone has eaten their first round before you go back for seconds!"
Rule number 3: Aleisha
"Everyone must be home for Christmas, no excuses!"
Rule number 4: Sharna
"Don’t sleep in - then the day will run smoothly"
Rule number 5: Kiara
"A really good trifle: we have a trifle competition to see who can make the best one - home made custard always is a key ingredient - if you've used store bought custard you're out instantly."
Rule number 6: Kelly
"Lots and lots of booze – especially beer, bring lots of that and the whole family including me will be happy *laughs*"
Rule number 7: Helen
"Lots of seafood – we don’t eat it any other time apart from Christmas when we’re all together – especially on a hot christmas day in Perth."
Rule number 8: Shenika
"Be on time – mums notorious for being late – she runs on Daniella time, so she’s later than anybody that’s late so she needs to be early for it to be a success otherwise the food goes cold."
Rule number 9: Angela
"One of the best things to do is sit around the Christmas tree and open all the presents at exactly midnight on Christmas Eve. Not only is it fun but it gives you that tiny extra sleep in which is great for all the non morning people like me."
But overall remember it’s a time not only about family but also having laughs together and sharing good food.
Rule number 10: Daniella
"Now that the girls are growing up my number one rule is that everyone does there bit. One person cooks a dish for mains and one brings something for dessert ... And of course my main rule would be to bring laughter and happiness - that's a must in my house!"
Daniella says Christmas is all about making memories...
"When I was growing up Mum did the best she could do with what she had. Despite dealing with difficult times, she would always try to get what we wanted. I remember when I was 11-years-old, I got black and yellow roller skates and I was so happy. But now looking back, it was the memory that was the best part. Christmas for me with my girls is about not forgetting what the true meaning of Christmas is. It’s about family being together and remembering those families that are no longer with us. It’s about being thankful for what we have and it’s all about the kids. Smiles are enough. Many important traditions have been passed down and hopefully will continue to grow with every generation. Some of the special ones that I’ve carried on is my mum's home made custard, just the way nan taught me. Without this secret ingredient, my trifle would not be made any other way. But one of the most important traditions is of course, Nan's Christmas hamper. Without a doubt every year we would make the hamper and take it to the local park and sit around, talk yarns and have a good Christmas day."
Nan’s Christmas hamper:
The hamper’s a cardboard box recycled from the shops - the best ones were the boxes used to transport bananas.
Plastic plates
Cups
Cutlery
Bin bag
Cold chicken cooked previous night
Garden salad
Grapes
Watermelon
Tubs of chocolate mousse
Cream in a tin
Home-made custard made with powdered milk
Lemon barley cordial
Packet mixed lollies
Samba chips
Twisties
Blanket table cloth
Family Rules airs on Monday 9 January, 7.30pm on NITV Ch. 34 but you can catch a sneak peak of Episode 1 On Demand
