While most people wake up on Christmas morning ready to relax, enjoy a long meal, or spend the day criss-crossing the country to visit family and friends, Lauren Dowling (53) is up bright and early to experience a different sort of day.
You could say her Christmas is spent with more than 2000 other people – her Christmas family, as she calls them.
“Every year we turn up and catch up on each other’s gossip and see familiar faces. It’s become like an extended family, so yeah, they are pretty much!” she laughs.
This is how December 25 has looked for Lauren and her husband Frank (48) for the past 15 years. Leaving the house at 8.30am, they set off to the Viaduct Events Centre armed with their walkie-talkies and red T-shirts to take their places as key volunteers at the country’s largest community Christmas celebration, The Auckland City Mission Christmas Lunch.
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The Dowlings, along with about 600 extra volunteers, are among those who spend their Christmas Day making sure others have a day to remember.
So how does one come to decide to spend their Christmas with complete strangers?
“Frank’s work at the time had a charity of choice, which was the City Mission,” she explains.
“So one year we helped pack food parcels and we found out about the Christmas lunch. We decided to volunteer as food servers at a serving station and we just absolutely loved it!”
With family across New Zealand and the globe, Lauren says it made sense for the pair to do something of service on what is, for many, a day of rest.
“My family is in Rotorua and Frank’s from Dublin. He usually worked Boxing Day in retail as well so it was impossible for us to go down to Rotorua.
“It was such an awesome day that we volunteered again the next year as team leaders, which then evolved into becoming part of the team of key volunteers. It was basically us knowing we could provide our skills to help out.”
The annual Auckland City Mission Christmas lunch takes months to organise and fundraise for. On the day, diners will consume about 300kg of ham, 2000 chicken drumsticks and 500kg of vegetables!
And, of course, there’s the countless presents given out by Santa’s helpers.
“There are definitely more and more people coming each year,” Lauren says. “It’s such a wonderful mixture of people – the elderly and disabled, refugees, and families who might not able to provide a big Christmas this year.
“The look on the kids’ faces – they are so excited. The whole thing blows their minds.”
After a day of catering to the masses, the Dowlings trek home at 3pm and start their own Christmas lunch.
“With my husband being from the Northern hemisphere he really likes the full works – so I stuff the turkey and get it in the oven, prep the veges and do the ham the day before,” she laughs while rolling her eyes.
“We even do a Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. We have what you would call an orphan’s Christmas, so anyone who wants to come round can – it really varies year to year. This year, some of my family is coming for Christmas and my best friend and her husband are travelling from Tauranga to help us volunteer!”
But she says she wouldn’t have it any other way, giving herself a week after the day to relax and continue to eat Christmas turkey.
“Yes, I’m exhausted, but it’s so worth it. People go away happy, fed and they’ve had a great Christmas,” she says.
As for having a Christmas with their family, Lauren says it may be in the works but every year they can’t keep themselves from the Mission’s extravaganza!
“For the last couple of years we say maybe we should pass it on to someone else; but we can’t stay away. The number of people who give up their time just gives the place such an amazing atmosphere and everyone is friends.”
It’s a day that the Dowlings look forward to every year.
“For me, Christmas represents summer and family and friends. It’s people getting together and being happy,” she explains.
“It’s not about things; it’s about people and connections. And for us, it’s about making the guests feel special and giving them a great Christmas.”
