- Evette Hadzisavas, 49, has a special place in her heart for Christmas
- Every year, she spends six months decorating for the festive holiday
- One year, she even had 18 Christmas trees in the house
Here Evette tells her story in her own words.
Positioning the angel on top of the tree, I was in awe.
Just two more to go! I giggled, looking over at my other trees.
I’ve always been obsessed with Christmas. Before moving to Australia, I grew up in a Christian family in Iran. We adored Christmas, but it wasn’t widely celebrated there.
In 1988, when I was 13, me and my parents Juliet, then 41, and Sargon, 51, and my brothers Yobert, 20, and Robert, 17, migrated to Melbourne, Vic.
At Christmas time in Oz, it was incredible to see all the beautiful lights.
For the first few years we didn’t have a lot of money to spend on Christmas, but Mum always made sure to decorate a tree.
Devastatingly, my dad passed away in a car accident when I was 18. The tragedy left our family heartbroken.
You’ll never be forgotten, I promised.
And I vowed we’d keep up our Christmas traditions in the spirit of my father.
My parents had worked tirelessly to make a living and, after my dad passed, we moved into our dream home in Greenvale, Vic.
For our first Christmas there, we had a beautiful tree, wrapped presents, and cooked Persian kebabs. It wasn’t easy with Dad gone, and we shed a lot of tears.
‘Dad would have loved this,’ I said to Mum.
When I was 21, I found love with Tim, then 32, after meeting him through work. Four years later we married.
And if I was Chrissy obsessed, then Tim was the ultimate Grinch!
‘You’re like my little elf,’ I joked to my son.
‘Don’t get too crazy with the Christmas stuff, Evette!’ he said when we moved in together.
He’ll turn around! I chuckled to myself, tying tinsel to the staircase.
And by the time we had our daughter, Zoe, in June 2007, my hubby had more festive spirit. In fact, as Zoe grew, every Christmas Eve Tim would dress as Santa Claus and give out presents to her and her cousins.
‘Ho Ho Ho!’ he’d bellow.
And on Christmas Day, we’d visit more relatives and have a barbecue feast.
When I gave birth to our boy, Christian, in December 2012, he was our perfect Christmas present.
And sure enough, he became my wonderful little helper every Chrissy.
Starting in June each year, he loved to help me start decorating the house with tinsel and garlands.
‘You’re like my little elf,’ I joked to him.
Buying plain green garlands, I’d add ribbons and other touches myself.
In fact, almost all my decorations are handmade, and although I work full-time, I create and decorate on weekends for up to six months to achieve my vision for Christmas.
When our Maltese pup Coco joined the family in 2019, she proved her Christmas spirit right away!
‘Aw, look at Coco!’ my kids giggled, as she curled up to sleep under the tree.
My collection of decorations grew and grew.
‘I had 18 Christmas trees in the house that year!’
‘There’s too much stuff!’ my hubby would say, finding tree toppers and snow globes squashed inside cupboards and under the bed. He did have a point.
So in 2020 we built a shed on the side of the house for my decorations. Everything was stacked in clear containers and sorted by colour.
Each year, I have a theme for Christmas.
In 2020, it was ‘snowman’. I had three large trees with fake snow, and a little snowman’s forest with a white-dusted floor and lots of mini trees. It meant I had 18 Christmas trees in the house that year!
‘It has to look elegant,’ I explain to friends about why I prepare for months ahead.
In 2021, I had a rustic theme with red and brown.
Tim might not be such a Grinch anymore, but the theme the following year was indeed The Grinch.
‘It’s dedicated to you!’ I teased him.
We had Grinch pyjamas, green cupcakes and a Grinch Christmas tree.
That year, some members from a Facebook Christmas group asked to come over and see inside my house.
Hmm, I don’t know, I thought, apprehensive.
But when some neighbours knocked on the door one day asking to see inside, I was finally convinced to open up.
‘Wow, this is amazing!’ they said, dazzled.
So I put pamphlets in other neighbours’ letterboxes and invited members from the Facebook group to an open home day.
We had 70 people wandering our halls!
It was wonderful to share the joy of Christmas.
‘I’ve already planned two years ahead.’
‘Did you know my wife makes everything herself?’ Tim said, proudly.
The year after, my theme was an all-red Christmas, with two red trees.
This year, we have a Holy Night theme, with navy blue, gold and white decorations. And our kitchen has been transformed into a gingerbread wonderland.
I’ve already planned an all-white theme for 2025, and a traditional red, green and gold for 2026. To share my passion, I’ve set up an Instagram account @Christmas_joy_melb.
My hobby can be costly, so I often buy items on sale right after Xmas, and use things I already have.
Now, as well as the shed, I have four large outdoor containers to store my decorations.
And don’t tell Tim, but I also secretly have a stash of decorations in the wardrobe…
The kids, now 17 and 11, love the lead-up to our Christmases each year.
‘I want to be just like you when I grow up,’ Christian beams.
‘You haven’t scared me yet, Mum,’ Zoe laughs.
I might be crazy about Christmas, but it brings me joy to spread the festive cheer!
