Of going carol-singing with the children dressed as kings on the donkeys and me leading my horse-turned-camel (thanks to a cushion-filled hump). Of making snowmen in the days when we got serious snow in the Cotswolds. Yet we all have glorious memories of Christmas too.
Since then, with our children grown and with families of their own and with their own in-laws to consider, the alternate-year tradition has broken down. And since between us we now boast 16 grandchildren and counting, getting all of us together would be impossible, even if we had the beds.
Or when the dog ate the ham, or the time I thought deep-frying chestnuts would make peeling them easy, and I didn't slit their skins so they exploded like fireworks, spraying hot fat all over the kitchen.
Two days before those remarks, 2GB morning presenter Ray Hadley had unloaded on Jones over his former colleague's Covid commentary for Sky, describing his conduct as 'scurrilous, contemptible and undignified'.
Jesse Lingard 'could leave Manchester United in the January... Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he has NOT thought about taking... Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez - who holds the record for the... Barcelona boss Xavi 'is keen to sign Chelsea defenders...
The Bachelorette is so far down by more than 30 per cent since 2020. However, it should be noted The Bachelorette is gaining significant numbers in BVOD streaming, which is only made public a week after overnight ratings come out
It comes after the future of Channel 10 as a viable commercial network was questioned following a horror year which saw tentpole shows such as MasterChef Australia, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette bomb in the ratings.
One week after Jones's departure, just 36,000 viewers tuned into Sky News' 8pm time judi slot online for Inside the News with Rita Panahi - barely a third of the 95,000 viewers Jones attracted at the same time a week before.
Every family has its Christmas traditions and mine may well not resonate with yours, especially as mine are particularly old-fashioned and traditional because they started in the mid-70s and continued uninterrupted for 20 years, with my brother and sister-in-law coming to us one year and we going to them the next.
The Project is forced to apologise after a host unknowingly... Channel 10 releases statement about the future of The... Woman interrupts The Project host Tommy Little's stand-up... NRL great Cooper Cronk's glamorous wife Tara Rushton joins...
'But, at the same time, I'm always concerned because every time, in the international break, we are unlucky.
We always have problems with players coming back from the national teams, many players are injured and this one is not an exception.
Not least because our new modern house has no mantelpieces to drape swags (garlands of greenery that taper at each end) under. I had thoughts of starting afresh with cool new objets from some expensive design shop.
Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez - who holds the record for the... Jesse Lingard 'could leave Manchester United in the January... Barcelona boss Xavi 'is keen to sign Chelsea defenders... Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he has NOT thought about taking...
I'd ordered a 20lb turkey and forgotten to cancel it.
But all was well: my husband John and I had a wee roast duck, and the staff at the local care home (for whom I was cooking Friday night suppers) got an awful lot of turkey pie.
Pictured: Prime Minister Scott Morrison Sorry: Mr Valvo apologised to Ms Sher's daughter-in-law via social media, with The Australian reporting he wrote: 'Huge sorry to you and the family… If we had known any of this, we would have never shown it.
With any luck, God and Boris willing, this Christmas will be joyous and erase the sad memories of last year.
Children will be taken to the panto, churches (and pubs and restaurants) will be open and welcoming, and we can revive the traditional family Christmas.
Pictured (L-R): Tommy little, Peter Helliar, Hamish Macdonald, Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly, Lisa Wilkinson and Gorgi Coghlan Perhaps the most alarming example of the ratings decline is The Project, which has lost almost a third of its audience since 2011.
'The decision to no longer publish Alan Jones's column in The Daily Telegraph was made by its editor, Ben English, based on the impact the column was having on the Telegraph's objective to build its audience,' a News Corp spokesman said.
Outrage: The Change.org petition 'Get The Project Cancelled' (pictured) accuses the left-leaning program of airing 'vile, un-Australian material'. Its author, James Hamilton, also claims the hosts 'recently accused a cricketer of racism before quickly retracting the statement'
However, Armstrong later scaled back his criticism after de Kock, who comes from a mixed-race family, issued an apology and explained his actions Criticism: He was criticised by Indigenous ABC News Breakfast presenter and occasional Project panellist Tony Armstrong (pictured), who said de Kock's actions were 'racist'.
Since then, with our children grown and with families of their own and with their own in-laws to consider, the alternate-year tradition has broken down. And since between us we now boast 16 grandchildren and counting, getting all of us together would be impossible, even if we had the beds.
Or when the dog ate the ham, or the time I thought deep-frying chestnuts would make peeling them easy, and I didn't slit their skins so they exploded like fireworks, spraying hot fat all over the kitchen.
Two days before those remarks, 2GB morning presenter Ray Hadley had unloaded on Jones over his former colleague's Covid commentary for Sky, describing his conduct as 'scurrilous, contemptible and undignified'.
Jesse Lingard 'could leave Manchester United in the January... Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he has NOT thought about taking... Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez - who holds the record for the... Barcelona boss Xavi 'is keen to sign Chelsea defenders...
The Bachelorette is so far down by more than 30 per cent since 2020. However, it should be noted The Bachelorette is gaining significant numbers in BVOD streaming, which is only made public a week after overnight ratings come out
It comes after the future of Channel 10 as a viable commercial network was questioned following a horror year which saw tentpole shows such as MasterChef Australia, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette bomb in the ratings.
One week after Jones's departure, just 36,000 viewers tuned into Sky News' 8pm time judi slot online for Inside the News with Rita Panahi - barely a third of the 95,000 viewers Jones attracted at the same time a week before.
Every family has its Christmas traditions and mine may well not resonate with yours, especially as mine are particularly old-fashioned and traditional because they started in the mid-70s and continued uninterrupted for 20 years, with my brother and sister-in-law coming to us one year and we going to them the next.
The Project is forced to apologise after a host unknowingly... Channel 10 releases statement about the future of The... Woman interrupts The Project host Tommy Little's stand-up... NRL great Cooper Cronk's glamorous wife Tara Rushton joins...
'But, at the same time, I'm always concerned because every time, in the international break, we are unlucky.
We always have problems with players coming back from the national teams, many players are injured and this one is not an exception.
Not least because our new modern house has no mantelpieces to drape swags (garlands of greenery that taper at each end) under. I had thoughts of starting afresh with cool new objets from some expensive design shop.
Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez - who holds the record for the... Jesse Lingard 'could leave Manchester United in the January... Barcelona boss Xavi 'is keen to sign Chelsea defenders... Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he has NOT thought about taking...
I'd ordered a 20lb turkey and forgotten to cancel it.
But all was well: my husband John and I had a wee roast duck, and the staff at the local care home (for whom I was cooking Friday night suppers) got an awful lot of turkey pie.
Pictured: Prime Minister Scott Morrison Sorry: Mr Valvo apologised to Ms Sher's daughter-in-law via social media, with The Australian reporting he wrote: 'Huge sorry to you and the family… If we had known any of this, we would have never shown it.
With any luck, God and Boris willing, this Christmas will be joyous and erase the sad memories of last year.
Children will be taken to the panto, churches (and pubs and restaurants) will be open and welcoming, and we can revive the traditional family Christmas.
Pictured (L-R): Tommy little, Peter Helliar, Hamish Macdonald, Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly, Lisa Wilkinson and Gorgi Coghlan Perhaps the most alarming example of the ratings decline is The Project, which has lost almost a third of its audience since 2011.
'The decision to no longer publish Alan Jones's column in The Daily Telegraph was made by its editor, Ben English, based on the impact the column was having on the Telegraph's objective to build its audience,' a News Corp spokesman said.
Outrage: The Change.org petition 'Get The Project Cancelled' (pictured) accuses the left-leaning program of airing 'vile, un-Australian material'. Its author, James Hamilton, also claims the hosts 'recently accused a cricketer of racism before quickly retracting the statement'
However, Armstrong later scaled back his criticism after de Kock, who comes from a mixed-race family, issued an apology and explained his actions Criticism: He was criticised by Indigenous ABC News Breakfast presenter and occasional Project panellist Tony Armstrong (pictured), who said de Kock's actions were 'racist'.