GuideMeMalta's Great Christmas Countdown with... Taryn Mamo Cefai
Next on our Christmas countdown celebrity list is none other than the lovely Taryn Mamo Cefai. This talented actress, radio host and social media boomer is all about the festive season - in other words, she’s big on Christmas!
For Taryn, Christmas is...
“...my favourite holiday of the year!” she gleams as she reminisces about happy memories tied to the holiday - “it’s a time when families come together, everyone seems to be in good spirits and there’s an all-round positive vibe.” True to most of us in this jovial time, Christmas tends to bring out the best in us, and makes us value our families that little bit more. “For me, Christmas is the perfect excuse to enjoy some quality time with my family doing festive activities like decorating the house, Christmas shopping in the magically lit streets of Valletta, visiting cribs, baking goodies and bingeing on Christmas movies.”
And here's how she spends it!
The typical Christmas day for Taryn usually revolves around family, friends and a little bit of food - just a tad. “Christmas Day is one big family food fest which starts with lunch and goes into tea, games and movies, which ends with a cheese feast. Food coma galore!” Christmas Eve is a little less gluttonous, with family friends visiting the family home for a little get together culminating in the highlight of Taryn’s eve - midnight mass: “ever since I can remember we’ve done this - we actually still attend the mass at my old school, 10 years later.”
Taryn's Christmas traditions
Family traditions are aplenty in the Mamo Cefai household, with her grandma’s signature Christmas pudding and her dad’s stuffed olives making a highly anticipated appearance due to their top secret family recipe - one Taryn herself has not had the honour of learning yet! “The funniest tradition is that every Christmas we always turn to Monopoly around tea time, which we know will end in feuds but we play it anyway!” What’s Christmas without a random bout of anger anyway? Secret Santa is also a must every Christmas, with the challenge of doing your assigned person justice with the perfect gift while saving on the hassle of buying everyone a gift - what’s not to love?
Taryn's most memorable Christmas present so far was...
With food-related activities forming part of Taryn’s most coveted part of the day, presents are a good second unless they happen to be pets! “I once received what should've been a 'dwarf rabbit' as a Secret Santa gift, and this tiny rabbit grew so huge that no cage was big enough for it. Pets are not gifts people!”
Unique NYE plans
This New Year brings a whole new adventure for Taryn; she’ll be making her way up Kilimanjaro - talk about kicking off the new year on a high! She will be summiting on the 31st, to really roll in the year with some positivity and a can-do attitude that will hopefully spread on to her New Year.
How about New Years Resolutions? Will she be making any?
New Year’s resolutions are not a thing for Taryn, as she very much believes in being the best version of herself all year round, doing things that make her happy and living the way she wants to live. “I try to ask myself: 'If today were your last day on this earth, was it a great one?' If not, change it!” This is her mantra for 2019 - “I definitely want to succeed in completing the Kilimanjaro challenge but I also want to focus on my career, do up my first home and travel more - basically doing what makes me happy!”