It takes the entire family, and a blaze of activity, to ready this Auckland villa for Christmas

摘要

One weekend at the end of October, Michelle and Ton van der Veer and their children gather around a huge pile of boxes in the middle of their lounge and tear into a very special family tradition. It's their one-day, all-day, early Christmas date, during which Ton's legendary creativity is let loose.The day starts with their regular Sunday breakfast - pancakes, fruit and syrup - around the big recycled timber dining table where they share all their meals. By day's end, the house is a festive wonderland, right down to the trees that Dominique, 19, Matisse, six, and Laurent, four, decorate for their bedrooms.