The Liddell family of Holbrook have reigned their Christmases in from chaos to a well-oiled machine.
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Glenn and Danielle Liddell and their 11 children have Christmas down to a fine art.
Preparation starts months in advance and the cooking is done long before the family sits down to eat.
Mrs Liddell and her husband always wanted a big family.
They now are the proud parents of Blayne, 23, Bree, 16, Morgan, 15, Tammin, 14, Jett, 11, Paige, 10, Klay, eight, Chace, five, Hope, four and three-year-old twins, Zayne and Zye.
“My goal was 10 children by my 40th birthday and I got 11 the week before my 40th,” Mrs Liddell said.
“We both always wanted twins … the joy was enjoyed by all of us.”
The younger children set out the milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and sprinkle ‘reindeer food’ on the lawn before going to bed on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning used to be a flurry of noise and wrapping paper as the children emerged from their rooms to unwrap their gifts.
Mrs Liddell said she is shopping all year to fill the children’s Santa sacks.
But the morning runs a bit smoother now as the Liddells have figured out a system.
Presents are opened starting with the youngest children and working up to the oldest.
“Christmas morning used to be bedlam,” Mrs Liddell said.
“Now everyone can see what everyone’s getting.”
Then it is something simple for breakfast, such as croissants, before the meal preparation starts.
Mrs Liddell shops for Christmas Day eight weeks in advance.
The family’s Christmas feast this year will consist of boneless rolled pork, which will be cooked on Christmas Eve, prawns, ham and smoked salmon.
Limiting the amount of hot food served means more time with family and less time stuck in the kitchen.
“We do all the hot food the day before so you’re not slaving in the kitchen and miss out,” she said.
“We eat cold cuts and the kids swim.”
Mrs Liddell said she has become an expert in finding different ways to use the left over ham after Christmas.
The family owns the Holbrook Settlers Motel and are used to people milling about.
But the family home becomes a hub of activity at Christmas as the children and their friends and partners all gather.
“It is a bit of an open house, having such a large family, people come to you,” Mrs Liddell said.
But Mrs Liddell said she would not have Christmas any other way.
