Carols by Callea

Anthony Callea spoke to TV WEEK about performing in Carols By Candlelight and his favourite holiday moments


What is your favourite Christmas present of all time?

A trampoline. My brother got a BMX bike, and it was downstairs under the Christmas tree, and I walked down there and there was no present for me. And I went, "Oh my God, where's my present?" and my mum said, "Didn't Santa bring you a present?" I was in tears and saying, "Matthew got a present and I didn't get one, what have I done wrong?" I was hysterical. Then Mum opened the living room curtains and there in the backyard was a huge trampoline.

As a kid, did you get dragged out to perform for everyone?

You could say that. I won't deny it. Christmas Eve, we'd all get together at my auntie and uncle's place. My brother used to play the guitar and my cousin used to jump on the piano and my other cousin used to jump on the clarinet and my other cousin used to jump on the violin, and we'd jam together. I'd sing the carols and we'd put on little family concerts.

Did you dream of doing Carols By Candlelight?

We watched it every year and I'm sure there was a part of me that wanted to be there. It's great now that I have all those memories of Christmas Eve when I was younger and watching it on the TV, and now I've got the opportunity to be up there and perform. I can't explain how good a feeling it is to get out on that stage and see that sea of candles. The first year I walked out there, the first song I had to sing was "The Prayer" and I had goosebumps.

When do you start to get in the Christmas mood?

When I'm frantically doing my last-minute Christmas shopping at midnight at Chadstone and there's no one around. That's probably when it starts to become real. I always leave it to the last minute, though. I used to get into it at the start of December when I used to do my Christmas cards, but I'm so slack now that I don't even do cards.

It's a bit of a mum thing to do, isn't it?

Yeah, my mum used to collect them and staple them onto ribbons and hang them on the top of the staircase. I know, really tacky, but she did. My mum actually gets into Christmas so much, it's not funny. Growing up, our whole house looked like a spaceship. My poor dad spent a month putting up lights, and we had illuminated reindeer on the roof with the sleigh, and the front windows looked liked the Myer Christmas windows!

Christmas decorations: understated or OTT?

My mother: OTT. If it was up to me, maybe a Christmas tree in the house.

Real or fake?

Neither. Lately, I've been seeing in homeware shops these white branches with lights on them. That's more of a contemporary, classy way to do Christmas decorations. I think I prefer that. Definitely not a real one because I'll just keep sneezing and the fake ones look a bit fake, obviously.

http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=336716