Gift Of Family

With a holiday home to share, there’s a beachy Christmas on the horizon.

- Sarah Pickette

Raucous kookaburras and noisy rainbow lorikeets herald the arrival of Christmas at this holiday house on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. As the birds greet the dawn, three little girls – Astrid, seven, Elsa, five, and one-year-old Clara – will likely be climbing out of bed and waking their parents, Anthony and Emma Spon-Smith, bursting with excitement at what the day ahead holds.

“Emma is Swedish and we follow the Scandinavian tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve – the food Emma makes is absolutely delicious,” says Anthony. “My side of the family has a tradition I think might be fairly unique: we jump into the pool in pyjamas at Christmas. This is something that I’ve now passed on to our girls!”

This year will be the first the Spon-Smith kids will take a PJ-clad dip in this particular pool. The house was bought in August 2019 by Anthony’s parents, Paul and Dale, with the intention that it be a place for all the family to come together, including Anthony, Emma and their children, Anthony’s brother James, sister Mimi and her family. Because the previous owners had recently renovated, the home needed little work. All the SponSmiths had to do was bring in some new furniture – hardly a difficult task considering Anthony is creative director and co-owner of furniture and design business Coco Republic. His father Paul is its chairman and founder.

Situated a short stroll from the beach, the weatherboard home is set behind a hedge shaded by frangipani trees. Oversize pavers sweep down to a covered entryway, which leads into the open-plan kitchen/dining/ living area. “We love to relax in the living area with a glass of wine after dinner,” says Anthony.