By Narelle Coulter
THE Barlow family from Cockatoo are hoping for a cool Christmas Day, so they can all don their snug, festive-themed jumpers without sweltering.
The Christmas mad family are the winners of the Gazette’s festive image competition.
Mum Jodie bought the endearing jumpers, reminiscent of a Bridget Jones movie, on Ebay from a seller in England.
Husband David, son Brock, 25, and daughter Courtney, 20, are equally keen to be part of the festive fun. Jodie also bought a jumper for Brock’s girlfriend, Emily.
The jumpers, adorned with gingerbread men, Christmas trees and presents, will have their first public outing on Christmas Day when the family gathers at Jodie’s sister’s house in Clematis.
Last year the Barlows wore “lame” Christmas-themed T-shirts, and Jodie said they were determined to step things up in 2016.
“If it’s 40 degrees on Christmas Day, they will be on and off really quickly,” she said, laughing.
Around 25 members of Jodie’s family, ranging from four months to 80, will get together on 25 December for a traditional hot lunch including “cooked vegies, cooked meat, ham, turkey and pork”.
“We were talking about having salad, but we decided no because that’s not Christmas. I just love the old Christmas traditions,” she said.
Dessert is always plum pudding with butter sauce made by Jodie’s mum, who folds shillings and pence into the mixture before it is cooked.
Each Christmas Jodie goes to her mum’s house to hang the Christmas stocking she has had since she was a child. There is a stocking for each of her three siblings as well as one for each of the 10 grandchildren.
“I am a Christmas person. I am hairdresser, so I love Christmas time when everyone is coming in for haircuts,” she said.
The Barlows win a family membership to the Pakenham Racing Club worth $285.
