‘Christmas Day is the crescendo’
TV presenter Anita Rani, 45, lives in Hackney, east London, with her digital agency boss husband Bhupinder, 42.
I love my job, so all year I give it my all, but at Christmas, I switch off for two weeks. Bhupinder and I either do a Christmas away or spend it in the UK with family.
When I’m at home for Christmas, I go big with celebrations, and I probably overcompensate because, growing up, we didn’t really do Christmas. Mum and Dad were often so busy running their clothing business that Christmas was a hotchpotch. There was no fixed tradition.
One year, my mum’s elder sister invited us to her house in Edgbaston, where 50-plus relatives had descended. My auntie had prepared a tandoori turkey and I had never seen anything like it. I remember staring at this enormous bird coated in bright red tandoori sauce before watching it being shoved in the oven. I don’t know if it’s a fond memory or if my mind’s been scarred!
When I reached my teens, I remember asking Mum if we could get a tree and decorate it. I’ve continued those efforts into adulthood. Two weeks into December, my house becomes a winter wonderland. The fairy lights – multicoloured on the tree, white elsewhere in the house – come out, the real tree goes up, and we play endless Christmas songs.
This year, I’m yet to make plans. Part of me wants to be abroad because we haven’t been away for a while, but also my four-year-old niece is at
