Well, its Christmas already! The year has just flown by. We asked the Tribe cast a few questions on Christmas and what it means to them.
What does Christmas mean to you?
Dwayne – Heaps!!! Family, fun, togetherness.
Nick – Eating heaps of food and relaxing in the sun. (NZ has Christmas at the height of summer).
Amelia – Some presents, some giving, and more presents.
Michael – Family and big dinners.
Antonia – Getting together with all the family and celebrating together.
Beth – Quiet day with family, sunshine, pohutakawa trees, presents, no school – holidays!!!
Michelle – Family spending time together, eating tons of food and exchanging prezzies.
Victoria – Family I didn’t know I had and huge stomachs.
Meryl – Christmas to ME is a time to celebrate another great new year that has passed. And a joy into the next year coming.
Georgia Taylor – Being around family and showing love and affection.
Jacob – The birth of Christ (Jesus).
Jaimee – Presents, presents, presents!
Jennyfer – Fun!!
What do you do on Christmas Day?
Dwayne – Spend it with my family and Grandparents.
Nick – Usually my family goes out to a good restaurant for a lavish lunch.
Amelia – Spend the day opening presents at the beach and getting sunburnt.
Michael – Go to church then open pressies and drink champagne and eat mince pies.
Antonia – Open presents then go to church then spend the day with relatives and top it all off with a HUGE Christmas dinner.
Beth – Go to our beach house, wake up late, have a yummy lunch, then finally get around to opening pressies! Its usually a very lazy day.
Michelle – Go to church. Have a Christmas lunch with friends. Open prezzies and a huge dinner with champagne.
Victoria – Get up, go to church then drive home as fast as we can, open the champagne and open prezzies with family and friends.
Meryl – 12.00am midnight my whole family is up opening our prezzies, celebrating, dancing, having a ball. And to end it with a freshly cooked home dinner.
Georgia Taylor – Have Christmas breakfast, open pressies and relax listening to music.
Jacob – Spend the day with family.
Jaimee – Open pressies from Santa in the morning. Then family presents in the afternoon and eating junk food.
Jennyfer – Wake up at 6.00am, open stockings, bounce on Mum and Dad and wake them up, then open some presents.
Do you have any plans for New Years Eve, what are they?
Dwayne – Not yet – but I always do something big!
Nick – No plans yet – but I might do a roadtrip around New Zealand with some friends.
Amelia – Staying up really late with my family and celebrating!
Michael – No but definitely spend it with my mates and lots of parties!
Antonia – Well, actually on December 13th I leave to Virginia for 9 weeks on an exchange, so I’ll be hanging out with my host family on New Years.
Beth – None at the moment – hopefully just a bit (or a lot) of partying, but I’m not too fussed.
Michelle – Yeah!! Road trip with my school friends to the Mount – (a party spot where all the teenagers go).
Victoria – To spend it with about 20 of my friends on a beach having a huge party! The whole Sha Bang!
Meryl – I will be in South Africa, my home town, celebrating with my enormous family whom I haven’t seen for 13yrs having a great time.
Georgia Taylor – Stay home, nice and safe with my Mummy.
Jacob – Party hard at “The Gathering” (a four day dance party).
Jaimee – Staying up all night at home with my family!
Jennyfer – Just be with my mates at an awesome party somewhere!
What are your goals for next year?
Dwayne – To act a lot. Do well, enjoy myself.
Nick – To perfect my DJing techniques.
Amelia – To keep going on this great job!
Michael – Do well at school and score a really nice chick! lol
Antonia – To get good marks in Bursary and basically to seize every opportunity and do my best in everything.
Beth – I am hoping to do well in my final year of school, have heaps of fun and grab every single opportunity and throttle it to death.
Michelle – To have loads of fun and survive moving town and being away from my parents.
Victoria – To get through yet another torturing year of school and do as well as I can.
Meryl – To work towards my future interests which include acting, singing, dancing and to appreciate what life has to offer.
Georgia Taylor – Go to Aussie and get more work on t.v. because I love the camera.
Jacob – Perform a show at the Wellington Fringe Festival, go to Europe and travel around. Tribe Series IV.
Jaimee – To have fun all year round!
Jennyfer – To be happy.
Best Christmas gift you ever gave?
Dwayne – A homemade sculpture out of clay.
Amelia – Everything! I love giving and watching people open presents.
Michael – A dog
Antonia – A book of original poems that I gave my Dad a few years ago.
Beth – I’m really not sure!
Michelle – Everything that made the person happy.
Meryl – My Mum a trip to South Africa to see her family. And a lot of love to everyone.
Georgia Taylor – Being born.
Jacob – A big canvas painting!
Jaimee – Playstation Games!
Jennyfer – A butterfly chrysalis to Mum.
Best Christmas gift you ever received?
Dwayne – A silver cross necklace.
Amelia – Again, everything I love and appreciate.
Michael – A jet ski.
Antonia – Ummm, I love all my presents if they’re given with love, but if I had to pick a favourite, probably my stereo that my parents gave me.
Beth – A playmobil doll house when I was eight. I couldn’t move, I was so excited!
Michelle – A surprise trip to the US.
Victoria – When I was like five or something, Mum and Dad got me and my two older sisters a little Jack Russel Terrier puppy! Abbey, we’ve still got her but shes getting old now.
Meryl – A gorgeous black puppy (Labrador) called Whippy! Yeeah!!!
Georgia – Meeting my Mummy and all her love.
Jacob – I got a regal skateboard when I was a kid! I was over the moon!
Jaimee – All, I love and appreciate everything I get!
Jennyfer – Can’t think of it.
Favourite Christmas Movie?
Dwayne – Nightmare Before Christmas.
Nick – Home Alone
Amelia – Miracle on 34th Street
Michael – Miracle on 34th Street
Antonia – Home Alone
Beth – Nightmare Before Christmas
Michelle – Snoopy’s Christmas
Victoria – Santa Claus (with Dudley Moore)
Meryl – Home Alone
Georgia Taylor – Winnie the Pooh and Xmas too.
Jacob – Nightmare Before Christmas
Jaimee – Miracle on 34th Street
Jennyfer – Milo & Otis or The Princess Bride.
Favourite Christmas Song?
Dwayne – Noel
Amelia – It would have to be I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus.
Michael – Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
Antonia – I love all Christmas songs but Rudolph would have to be one of my favourites.
Beth – Away in a Manger
Michelle – Snoopy’s Christmas
Victoria – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Meryl – All I want for Christmas is You – Mariah Carey, Joy to the World – I have heaps!!
Georgia Taylor – Jingle Bells
Jacob – Let Them Know Its Christmas – Live Aid
Jaimee – Jingle Bell Roack and Deck the Halls
Jennyfer – Do They Know its Christmas by John Lennon
Favourite Christmas Food?
Dwayne – Turkey and Cranberry sauce.
Amelia – I love Ham
Michael – Roast Chicken
Antonia – Flaming Christmas pudding with brandy tipped over it.
Beth – Mmmmm, mince pies…
Michelle – The amazing desserts we seem to have around Christmas – except not Christmas Pudd – thats yuk!
Victoria – Hot mince pies with icing sugar (and lots of it!!)
Meryl – Lots of icecream, lots of Chocolate cake and vege’s ( I love vegetables!)
Georgia Taylor – Chippies, anything I can’t choke on.
Jacob – Everything – Except pig!
Jaimee – I’m a big fan of Candy Canes.
Jennyfer – Dad’s Turkey stuffing!
Favourite Christmas Symbol? (for example, snowman, or Christmas tree, holly, santa?)
Dwayne – Santa!
Amelia – Reindeer.
Michael – Holly
Antonia – Definitely Santa!
Beth – Reindeer and holly. Snow is a bit irrelevant for NZ summer Christmas’s. So I’ll have to go with the Pohutakawa tree.
Michelle – The nativity
Victoria – A huge decorated Christmas tree with candles.
Meryl – An angel on top of the Christmas tree with Santa.
Jacob – Candy canes on the Christmas tree.
Jaimee – Mistletoe
Jennyfer – The fairy from the top of our tree.
Do you feel Christmas – and New Year – would be celebrated in the fictional world of the Tribe?
Dwayne – Yes – I think all the good will Tribes will, unlike Tribes like the Demon Dogs.
Amelia – I think that it would be, but I think that the religion would be Zootism.
Michael – I think it would be the one piece of normality they would cling to.
Antonia – Yes, I think Christmas would still be celebrated but sadly, New Year’s would probably be forgotten about.
Beth – I think an effort would be made – but I think that it would be pretty depressing.
Georgia Taylor – Yes.
Michelle – Yes – they would be one of the few links with the “old world”. A revival of hope and love.
Victoria – Yes! A time where maybe all the different Tribes forget their petty differences, some normality!
Meryl – Most definitely – Fictional or non fictional Christmas and New Year always have to be celebrated.
Jacob – Yes.
Jaimee – Yes!
Jennyfer – Yup! I hope so!
If so, how might it differ from the way we celebrate Christmas in the real world?
Dwayne – There would be no parents – Togetherness without parents.
Amelia – As I said before it would be a different religion.
Michael – I think the Tribe would bring everything they remember from before the virus to the tribal version of Christmas.
Antonia – Well, no one woudl be able to go to Church, but people could well stay home and pray, also , the big dinner’s would be a bit harder to organise!
Beth – The older kids would have to play Mum and Dad, (even more than they already do!) while the latest toys wouldn’t exactly be readily available!)
Georgia Taylor – The gifts would probably be handcrafted and probably a bit more emotional.
Michelle – Less commercialised. It would be totally about the Christmas spirit – Hard to agree for everyone to recognise Christmas.
Victoria – I think it would involve every little thing that any parents ever said no to. Over decorated trees, overeating, presents opened the day before, that sort of thing.
Meryl – depends on who you are. For me it would be the same as the real world.
Jacob – It would not be so commercial.
Jaimee – Presents might not be given to all but to a couple of special people.
Jennyfer – It would be more out there – less restrained.
What do you think your character might want for Christmas?
Dwayne – Amber.
Nick – Pride does not really want for “things”. Anything small and loaded with sentiment and love would do.
Amelia – The most expensive thing!
Michael – A fishing rod and a new computer.
Antonia – A boyfriend!!
Beth – I don’t think she’d be too fussed – although a stylish haircut wouldn’t go too far astray!
Georgia Taylor – Lots of toys, blocks, a dolly and stroller.
Michelle – A meditation book or incense.
Victoria – I think Salene and I would both like a beautiful horse cause we both love them but jewellery would be fine too.
Meryl – Well, Ebony would probably want some cool leather pants and maybe some boots, with lots of lip gloss!
Jacob – A confession booth!!
Jaimee – An animal of some sort! A new Bluebell!
Jennyfer – Something journalistic!
Who do you think would your character give a Christmas gift to in the fictional world of the Tribe – and what would the Christmas gift be?
Dwayne – Amber – a little kitten or something like that.
Nick – Pride’s involvement in Eastern Spirituality might mean he does not recognise the Christian ritual of Christmas. However he might choose to present Amber with a gift because he loves her.
Amelia – I think that I would give a Christmas gift to Trudy and I think it would be an old toy for Brady.
Michael – Ellie – and Jack would give her a ring or a beautiful necklace.
Antonia – Trudy would give a present to Brady and it would be something that she would enjoy, a cool new toy of some sort.
Beth – Something for Bray – something she would’ve put a lot of thought into. And especially for Trudy…..A DATE!!
Georgia Taylor – My mummy Trudy. My first painting cos thats all I could manage.
Michelle – The whole Tribe. A blessing or some sort of good luck ornament for the mall.
Victoria – I think she would give a present to either Ryan or Bray. She’d give Ryan a locket of hair or something sweet and corny like that or make him some new shoes (he likes shoes). And Bray a new skateboard or maybe a friendship bracelet cause he likes his jewellery.
Meryl – Probably to Bray, cause she loves him. It would have to be something he loves, something romantic. But he would never give in to Ebony, but hey you never know!
Jacob – The Guardian – some scissors and hair gel!
Jaimee – Patsy – jewellery or lippy!
Jennyfer – To Jack, something really sweet and personal.
A MESSAGE FROM THE TRIBE CAST TO YOU!!!
Dwayne
I hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas. Call someone you haven’t talked to in over a year and wish them a Merry Christmas.
Amelia
On Christmas Day just remember I’ll be thinking of you guys our great fans!
Beth
Be nice and happy and good – but don’t ANYONE touch my mince pies!!
Georgia Taylor
Love and be loved
Appreciate everything
around you and most of all
be true to yourself.
Michelle
Hey Everyone, its come around to that special season once again. Here’s hoping you all have a safe and happy Christmas! So lets enjoy the spirit of giving and happiness. Peace to you all!
Jacob
Take more time to hug, and listen to your family.
Jaimee
Christmas is a time of happiness!
Jennyfer
Hey y’all, hope ya have an awesome Christmas and a groovy New Year! Have heaps of fun and eat lots!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!