The Bachelor NZ star Matilda Rice on her first Christmas as Art Green‘s fiance:
This will be my first Christmas since Art [Green] and I got engaged, which in some ways changes nothing and in other ways seems to change everything. I thought getting engaged was just an exciting event that comes and goes, and your relationship would remain the same, but it has had quite an effect on us as a couple.
I always knew Art was the one I’d marry, and now we’re officially ‘locked in’ for life, it’s brought a whole new level of contentment.
I guess as partners, you hope you’re on the same page in terms of being in it for the long haul, but you’re not really basing it off anything – it’s more just a mutual feeling. But when Art proposed to me, it was that 100 per cent confirmation that we’re on the same page and want to be with each other forever.
I look at him now with new eyes, knowing that I’ll get to see his face every morning for the rest of our lives. It’s a lovely feeling.
Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year because I get to catch up with all my family, but it’s also the most hectic, and this year will be no different. My parents aren’t together, so trying to give each parent equal time can be a challenge.
Now Art and I have Christmas together, I didn’t realise how easy I had it all these years! Art has a HUGE family, and they’re scattered all over the country. To successfully divide our time, we spend it with my family one year, and his family the next.
This year it’s his family’s turn. His mum and stepdad have a lovely place near Rotorua, so we’ll most likely spend the day there. It’s such a special place, and I always feel truly relaxed when I go there, though those moments are few and far between these days.
This Christmas Day will be spent with Art’s side of the family, says Matilda Rice.
My favourite thing about Christmas is its power to bring everyone together, and that’s one thing our engagement hasn’t changed. Everyone’s relaxed and in summer mode. This year I’m mostly excited to get some sun. Is it just me, or has winter seemed to drag on for an eternity?
You can’t beat a Kiwi summer, and Art and I always try to get out of Auckland as much as possible over that period, so I’m gearing up for some serious roadies. As well as going to the bach in Rotorua, we love heading over to the Coromandel. We have friends with a place in Matarangi, so we’re really looking forward to spending a bit of time there too – you’ve got to love a friend with a bach!
This has been my best year yet. The past couple of months since getting engaged have been an absolute whirlwind. All our friends and family want to celebrate with us, which is amazing, but it means there’s not much time to relax. I also really under-estimated how much incredible feedback we’d get. It blew me away reading all the comments and messages from our followers on social media.
I guess everyone loves a happy ending, don’t they? A lot of people have been following us since we first met, so they feel like they’re on this journey with us, which is pretty incredible when you think about it.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions – who really sticks to them past January? But I do see it as a time to reflect on the previous year. It’s easy to get caught up in the swift passing of time and forget to look back, and I think it’s important to reflect on moments, achievements, places you’ve been, people you’ve met.
I’ve covered a lot of ground this year. We did a bunch of travel to the States, the Cook Islands and around New Zealand; we got bloody engaged; I wrote a book; oh, and we adopted two cats, Brian and Christine. If this year is anything to go by, 2018 is setting itself up to be a pearler.
To find out how some of our other favourite Kiwi celebs will be spending their Christmas, including Wendy Petrie, Lauren Boyle, Chloe Swarbrick and Kanoa Lloyd, see your latest issue of NEXT magazine, on sale now.
