Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Lauren Harte

What Christmas means to me? Northern Ireland's famous faces on how they spend the big day

We all have our own unique Christmas traditions that make the festive period so special but what about some of Northern Ireland’s famous faces.

The well-known stars have given a sneak peek into their lives on Christmas Day, past and present.

They have been sharing how they'll be spending the big day.

Read more: Christine Lampard on her plans for Christmas

For UTV anchorman Paul Clark, Christmas is about spending precious time with his own family and the families of those in Hospice care at this time of year.

Paul, who has presented UTV Live for over 30 years, is married to Carol and they have two sons, Peter and David.

"Every year I take our son David to meet Santa Claus and we've been going there from the beginning. David has Down's syndrome and is now 32 but he still believes in Santa Claus and so does daddy!" he told Belfast Live.

"So every year we go up to Santa's Grotto at Hillmount, give him our list and Santa always gives David a surprise present. It's interesting because the surprise present is always something that he has been asking and waiting for, so that's the magic of Christmas.

"And every year I still have to be very careful not to disturb anyone in the household on Christmas Eve whenever I'm letting Santa in."

Every year Paul Clark takes his son David to meet Santa Claus (Submitted)

Growing up, Christmas was also a special time for Paul, who is the eldest of four children and was brought up by his parents Thompson, who passed away in 2020, and Ida, alongside his siblings Susan, Maureen and Philip.

"Christmas was always a family time and it was spent at home with all of us together. Over the years, my brother moved abroad and one of my sisters lives in England so there's only two of us back here in Northern Ireland," he said.

"For me, the happiest Christmases as I remember growing up were always visiting my grandparents, granny and grandpa Clark, who lived at the top of the Ormeau Road. Whenever granny died in the 1970s it was never really the same again and the reason for that was because my grandfather was blind and he wasn't able to care for himself.

"He had to go into residential care and that was the moment that Christmas changed for me. There was a sense then that Christmas lost a wee bit of its magic. But it came back again whenever I became a daddy myself so Christmas has been on the upper trajectory ever since and I still love it."

Paul is also President of the Northern Ireland Hospice, which plays a key role in his family's Christmas celebrations each year.

"We tend to go to church on the Sunday before Christmas because every Christmas morning as a family we visit the Hospice. That's very special for me in my role as its President and in truth Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't go," he explained.

Paul is President of the Northern Ireland Hospice which held its annual Lights to Remember remembrance service – the first time the event was in-person since December 2019 - last week (NI Hospice)

"The past three years have been so difficult as we haven't been able to go at all due to coronavirus and I've always felt that it's very important. It's organised by the chaplains at the Hospice and everybody knows that it's going to be their last Christmas.

"The reality is that anyone who can be moved home for Christmas will be, even if it's only for a few hours, but there will always be those people in the Hospice who are so ill that they cannot be moved and so the family will come and be with them on Christmas Day.

"I've always viewed it as a huge honour to have been invited in to be with those families at that particular time and on that particular day. It means a lot to me and continues to do so and in many ways that has been the making of Christmas."

Paul has presented UTV Live for over 30 years (UTV)

Paul also acknowledged that many families will be finding this Christmas particularly challenging given the ongoing cost of living crisis.

"I can't take Christmas or any day of my life for granted, particularly when I see what's going around me. As a journalist I'm a servant of the people and I've never viewed myself as being any more or less than that.

"As somebody of this society, I feel the pain too. I wish people everything for this Christmas that they wish for themselves," he added.

Husband and wife duo Connor Phillips and Holly Hamilton will be celebrating this Christmas with their young son, Fionn, who turns two in January.

Holly, who's originally from Greyabbey in Co Down, and Jonesborough man Connor met when they were both together at Downtown Radio and Cool FM before landing jobs with the BBC.

BBC Radio Ulster presenter Connor says Fionn is starting to understand more about Christmas and is excited for Santa's upcoming visit.

"I love Christmas, Christmas is class. We just embrace every year and always have done in our house. Growing up in south Armagh, my ma always had the tree up the first week in December but now myself and my brother and sister always try to beat her to see if we can get our Christmas trees up before she does," Connor said.

"Now for myself and my wife once it hits December - or even the end of November - the tree is up. As kids we'd sneak up to the attic and bring all the decorations down to start putting the tree up. We were really bad at putting it up and then mum would come in and have to fix it so whether my mum had it up or not, we made sure that it was!

"Christmas for us was always about family as there were five of us but we have a massive extended family. Now we have that with Fionn who once he sees Santa just points and says Santa.

"He's so good at songs and absorbs music very quickly so we started playing 'Jingle Bells' in the car and his wee face lit up. Now we have to play it from one of his kids TV programmes on a loop.

"He's starting to pick up wee bits and pieces so he knows who Santa is and what a present is and if he sees something wrapped up he knows it has to be opened.

"He also knows what the Christmas tree is and not to touch any of the baubles, which was our big fear as does that in public. I can't wait to see his wee face on Christmas morning when he comes down to see if Santa has been to visit."

BBC radio presenter Connor Phillips (PRESSEYE)

This Christmas will be spent with Connor's in-laws who he says are even more Christmassy than him.

"My wife is 33.3% broadcaster, 33.3% mother and 33.3% Christmas elf. For 365 days a year all she does is get ready for Christmas - I thought I was really into Christmas until I met her. She inherited all from her own mum and dad who are exactly the same and their house is like a Winter Wonderland.

"This year will be the first time that Holly's sibling won't be home for Christmas Day which means that her parents will be on their own so we'll spend it with them.

"We would normally split the day up and do the first part of the day with her mum and dad and the second with mine or flip it around. The deal is that on St Stephen's Day morning the car will be packed up and we head to my parents so we get the best of both worlds."

"My mum very much taught me growing up that it's not about the size of your present, how much you get for Christmas or the commercial side of things, it's more about being surrounded by people that you like and love.

"Not every year or Christmas is going to be perfect but it's about embracing what's in front of you. It's as simple as saying 'thank you for this year and thank you for being brilliant'.

"For people who are struggling this year, it's going to be tough and on the show we always say why don't you knock on your neighbour's door and see if they're alright and have everything that they need. It's something we could all do at any time of the year and not just at Christmas."

Radio presenter Cate Conway (Submitted)

Radio presenter Cate Conway traditionally returns to her parents Robert and Moira and the family home in Carryduff to celebrate Christmas and this year will be no exception.

"My mum goes mad when it comes to Christmas decorations and even has a toilet seat cover with Santa's face on it and festive towels," she said.

"My bedroom now will be fully decorated with lights on the headboard, Christmas bed clothes, a wee tree and a light-up Santa. The room is just like a grotto and it's so cute. I'm 46 now but when I go back there I'm 10 again.

"Growing up myself, my older brother Mark and my parents would go to my granny's house on the Antrim Road for Christmas dinner with all my mum's side of the family.

"It was always brilliant and we would go into what was her breakfast room to see the tree and my uncle Paul was the one who gave out all the presents. It was just a massive pile of wrapping paper by the end and it was just lovely being with family," Cate recalled.

Cate with former co-host and close friend Stephen Clements celebrating Christmas (Submitted)

"I still remember the best Christmas present I ever got was a typewriter. I was in primary school at the time and it was in the days before tablets and mobile phones so it was like this amazing gateway to a world of expressing myself.

"It was just magical and it still stands out to me as the best thing I ever got even above all the toys. It felt really grown up and I used to make little newsletters and fake report cards for school. My mum has kept most of those things!"

Christmases past were also enjoyed alongside Cate's former co-host and friend Stephen Clements. The much-loved former Q Radio and Radio Ulster presenter, who sadly died in January 2020 at the age of 47.

"After Stephen died I started swimming in the sea and that has really helped me as the darkness of winter really gets to me. I still go every week and we'll go on Christmas Eve too," Cate said.

"It's something that's free and helps to get through the grimness of winter as well as a chance to be involved with nature which I just think is so important. Thankfully in the middle of it all we have this wonderful celebration of Christmas to connect with the people in your life that you care about."

READ NEXT:

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.