Christmas With Melissa Jack.

Melissa is wearing the 'Free 'n' Active Tank.'

Melissa Jack of The Best Nest is one of our - and New Zealand’s - favourite mommy bloggers. With Christmas just around the corner, we knew she’d be the perfect person to dish out some advice on family festive fun!  

SCARY thought...but Christmas is coming. How will your family celebrate this year?

Dave and I are a bit torn regarding Christmas to be honest. We hosted extended family at our house last year and thought it was great to spend the whole day at home, and not have to pack the kids up and spend the day driving around Auckland. We're considering avoiding a BIG Christmas this year by going camping! The weather is always so dodgy around Christmas though...the Jacks stuck in a tent over a wet Christmas, hmm, doesn’t exactly fill me with festive cheer!

Do you have any advice for parents hosting their first family Christmas?

I wish I had put in place holiday traditions, photos, annual must-dos from Ethan’s first Christmas. Special little things that we could later introduce to Nixon. Christmas is often over in a rush and a roar so I’d advise you start planning out those 25 days in December now so you can tick off all of those Christmas musts. If you’re hosting a family feast on Christmas Day, keep it simple. Plan your menu complete with sides and stick to it. If people offer to bring a plate, allocate them something off the menu and make the day a little easier on yourself.

Do you have any ideas for homemade Christmas gifts...that double as school holiday activities for kids?!

Home baking is perfect for teachers' and neighbours’ gifts. Shortbread and chocolate bark is super easy to do well and can be wrapped beautifully. Plus, the kids will love spending time with you in the kitchen!

What are your go-to recipes for the festive season?

Chelsea Winter’s pavlova recipe never fails - it’s amazing, straightforward and a family fave.

What’s on the top of your wish-list this year?

Nothing.  At.  All.

I want LESS stuff not more lol. The only things I have my eye on are a couple of pairs of gold Zoe & Morgan earrings...I wouldn’t say no to those!

If you could invite anyone in the world to spend Christmas with you and your family, who would it be and why?

It would definitely be some mutual friends from Florida. People that Dave and I would love to show around New Zealand and share a little of the life we have made for our family here. We left some of our besties in that crazy place. Dave grew up there and I spent three years in Florida, so we both have great friends we’d love to spend some time with.

If you could spend Christmas anywhere in the world, where would you spend it?

I can’t actually believe I’m saying this as I look forward to summer all year long, but, we had so much fun snowboarding as a family this year, that I can’t help but think spending Christmas tucked away in a cosy cabin in Tahoe or Canada somewhere would be pretty magical!

Check out Melissa’s Instagram for a slice of her life!

Written by Nikki Clarke.