Innehållsförteckning för TAK2350 från Take 5

It’s a busy time of year, with lots to organise, but there are so many mega wins in this issue, make sure you find time to fit those in, too! Don’t miss the last chance to enter Christmas Lunch On Us! We’re giving away 12 prizes of $1000 each and all you have to do is scan the QR code on page 18, or jump online and tell us in 300 words or fewer why you want an extra special Christmas lunch this year. Then, there’s your chance to win $10,000 by shopping in your local newsagent – check out page 70 for all the details on that one. Twenty readers will win 100 postage stamps – perfect for mailing in your puzzle entries (p64). Then five subscribers will win…

At the end of the year, I sprinkle baking soda on my mattress then vacuum it up to keep it smelling nice and fresh. Janice White, Hastings, NZ. Always carry a pen in your handbag when you’re flying internationally, so you can fill out your customs forms during the flight. Martine Herrera, West Auckland, NZ. To save money, I’ve started giving extended family members the gift of my time for Christmas. I make vouchers to give them stuff like a free meal bought and cooked by me, or free babysitting by me. Kelly Marsh, Geraldton, WA. Reheat leftover pizza slices in a covered frying pan to get the base nice and crispy. Kristy Thomas, Margaret River, WA. When you’re baking, follow the weights in the recipe not the cups or…

Tinsel festooned the walls of my office, where I worked as a manager for a children’s charity. As a busy mum of three, Christmas was always a juggle, but I was quietly confident I had everything ticked off my list this year. With just over a week to go, the presents were bought and wrapped, and my big Christmas food order, including all the fizz, was arriving today. Our youngest, Finley, two, would be able to join in the excitement with his sisters, Molly-May, seven, and Lily, five, this year. I’d always wanted a big family – having four brothers myself, I was used to a Christmas bursting with laughter and love. When I’d met my husband, Jordan, 28, he wasn’t sure he wanted kids – but as soon as…

The scent of homemade Christmas cookies filled the air as I took them from the oven. “Kids!” I shouted. “Come and decorate.” My children, Mariah, 17, Isabella, 12, and Robert, eight, raced to the kitchen and busied themselves with icing and sprinkles while I tended to our newest addition, baby Lena, 11 months. Later, we drove around to look at the Christmas house displays, something we did every year. My grandad, Franco, 80, lived with us and came along, too. When the big day arrived in December 2021, we woke up early to open presents. “A drone!” Robert gasped, as I helped Lena open her pressie, a new teddy bear. The kids spent hours playing with their new toys and by lunchtime Lena was exhausted. “Let’s put you down to…

I took a puff of a cigarette and my lungs immediately protested with coughing. “I like it,” I said to my friend, through watery eyes. It was February 2009, and at 14, it was my first time smoking. We’d stolen the cigarettes from my mate’s house. Soon, I became addicted and began stealing from my family to get money to buy a pack each day. Someone would get them for me in exchange for a few. “I smell smoke,” my mum said one day, sniffing me. “It was my friend, I was standing too close to her,” I lied. She’d never have expected me to be smoking, but I had some learning difficulties and, as a result, high school left me so disheartened I’d started mixing with the wrong crowd.…

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 – Dec 22 Now is an important time for you as the December New Moon prepares to light up your sign, alongside driven and determined Mars also in Sagittarius. If ever there were a time for you to go for it, it’s now – don’t wait for 2024! ★In terms of chasing your dreams, it’s now! PISCES Feb 20 –Mar 20 There are a lot of important lessons coming to you right now – are you paying attention? One of the biggest is about money. The more you can rely on yourself now, the more financially secure you’ll be. ★It’s a great time to start a new business. GEMINI May 22 – June 21 The December New Moon is coming and it’ll be triggering your Relationship…

BEFORE AFTER My favourite festive tunes played in the background, as I half-heartedly decorated the tree. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into the spirit. “The season to be jolly indeed,” I huffed to myself. Despite loving Christmas, standing on the scales that morning had lowered my mood. At 34, I wore a size 18 and weighed 105kg – the heaviest I’d ever been. It was December 2020, and during COVID, things had been tough on my own, caring for my four kids, Ainjewel, 13, PJ, 12, GracieJules, eight, and Juliet, two, and I hadn’t paid attention to what I was eating. I regularly ordered McDonald’s and on the rare occasion I cooked, I was liberal with butter and cream. I also drank too much wine.…

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SANTA RAMPAGE Christmas in Christchurch, New Zealand, is usually laid-back. But in 2007, cinemagoers at a local Hoyts had their peace disturbed when a gang of 50 drunken Santas rampaged the complex, ripping down posters, knocking over cardboard advertisements, abusing customers, and swearing at staff. Cinema-goer Kate Gorman, 35, who was with her kids waiting to see the movie Enchanted, said: “At least 50 drunk idiots dressed up as Santa came in through the main door. They were smashing everything in sight, shouting ‘ho-f***ingho’.” As they left, the Santas triggered an alarm, forcing hundreds of customers to evacuate the theatre for half an hour. The rampage lasted less than a minute, but there was plenty of property damage. Police believed the Santas were students but could not identify them from…

I’ve gone through it and it’s tough doing it alone. I’m sure they’ll be disappointed you didn’t tell them earlier – emotional support is vital in this terrifying time. My diagnosis and mastectomy was not long before Christmas and we still had anice Christmas. Julie McCullough Hi Take 5ers I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer, but I’m unsure about what stage it’s at for the moment. I need to have a few more scans. I’ve not told my family yet, as I don’t want to worry them, and I’m considering keeping it to myself until after Christmas. My son lives in the UK and is returning to Oz for the first time in two years, so I want it to be a happy occasion for everyone. I’m just worried…

Fighting back the tears, I bit my lip. “I’ll book a flight now,” I told my brother. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He’d just called me to tell me Mum had suffered a brain aneurysm and was in the ICU fighting for her life. It was 2018, and it had only been six years since our dad had died in an accident. I’d finished a degree in psychology and was in Colombia travelling. I jumped on the next flight I could back to New Zealand. Arriving at the hospital, a doctor came to speak to me. “It’s not looking good,” he told me, honestly. I sat rigidly by my mum’s bedside for 10 days before she sadly passed away, aged 57 – the same age Dad had…