No matter where she is on Christmas Day, two things are guaranteed to happen in Melissa Leong’s household.
First, the speakers will be cranked up, blaring out Mariah Carey’s greatest holiday hits.
Next, she’ll shimmy into a red party dress, ready to eat, drink and be merry on a rare day off.
“Red is a symbol of prosperity in Asian culture and it’s also the colour of Christmas for so many,” the 39-year-old fashion lover explains.
Melissa will be celebrating with friends rather than immediate family this year.
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When her parents emigrated from Singapore to Sydney in the ’70s, they were, says Melissa, determined to give herself and her younger brother “the classic Australian upbringing.”
“Christmas growing up was spending time decorating the tree together, guessing who’s presents were under the tree, eating lots of good food and just relaxing on the day itself,” she says.
“For me Christmas is all about a beautiful platter of Australian seafood – prawns from Skull Island, Sydney rock oysters, crays from Tassie and a beautiful barbequed fish. For me, those are the sights and the smells of summer and Christmas in Australia.”
As she’s currently filming a new season of MasterChef in Melbourne, Melissa will be celebrating with friends rather than immediate family this year.
Still, the long-held tradition of delicious feasting and indulgent lounging will absolutely be taking place.
“It’s a time of refreshment, a time of reflection and just sleeping in which is my kind of present,” she chuckles.
Like many Melbournians who slogged through 2021, that reflection centres primarily around both gratitude and the importance self-care.
“Being kind to yourself and being kind to others – that’s been the biggest thing for me this year,” she says.
“You can go easy and not try to be as brave as you need to be. Sometimes it’s okay to sit in your pyjamas and eat cake.”
For herself, she got through the 2021 roller-coaster by thinking of the age-old question: How do you eat an elephant?
The answer is, says Melissa, “one bite at a time. Just doing the daily things that need to be done and setting little incentives to celebrate getting through those times.
“It’s the small joys every day that I looked forward to: What I’m going to cook for dinner. Ducking to the supermarket and getting excited about what produce is coming into season and what I might do about it.
“It’s really about being grateful for what we do have.”
You can read this story and many others in our Christmas Issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly – on sale now.
