We're on day seven of our festive season countdown with some of Malta's most beloved personalities, and this time, it's tenor Cliff Zammit Stevens' turn to give us the Christmas goss!

For Cliff, Christmas is...

"...one of the few times when all the family comes together and spends quality time together. There is also a very distinct feeling around wherever you go which makes Christmas time extra special," he says.

"Christmas eve is usually spent with my friends drinking wine, chatting and catching up (we're getting old now and gone are the days when we used to bar hop from Sliema to Paceville). Meanwhile, Christmas day consists of lots of food! We usually spend the day at my aunt's house exchanging presents, eating, drinking and it doesn’t end until very late at night."

Cliff's Christmas traditions

"The tradition is that each aunt brings her speciality dish for Christmas lunch. It is always the same and never changes, but somehow we all get very excited about what is on offer, and make ourselves believe that we’ve never seen anything like it," he laughs.

What's his favourite part of the day?

"Giving gifts and seeing how other people react to them. I always spend time and effort determining what they wanted, so it's always exciting to see their reactions."

Cliff's best Christmas present so far was...

This year's! "My early Christmas gift is flights to South Africa. I'm looking forward to spending it with my closest friends, enjoying this special place together," he says - and we don't blame him! In fact, he'll be spending New Year's Eve in Cape Town, South Africa. "Its been a while since I have been on holiday, and so I am really looking forward to it."

How about New Years Resolutions? Will he be making any?

"I have planned so many New Years Resolutions and always failed at them. I don’t think I’ll be putting on any pressure this year and hope to keep on working hard and lead a healthy lifestyle."

Looking ahead at 2019, Cliff reveals his hopes that The Marcy Foundation (which creates awareness on Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse, Child Abuse, Mental Health and HIV, and which he launched this year) will "keep on receiving the overwhelming respect and support and will keep on working hard to spread the message and break the silence."