SONIA KRUGER EXCLUSIVE MY GIFT TO MY DAUGHTER

'TIS THE SEASON TO DIG DEEP AND GIVE BACK FOR THIS STAR

- Phillip Koch

Sonia Kruger adores sharing Christmas with her nineyear-old daughter Maggie. But she tears up whenever she thinks about the thousands of children missing out on the magic of her favourite time of year.

"Since having Maggie, I get to see Christmas through a child's eyes again, which makes it very special," Sonia tells New Idea in an exclusive interview.

This year, Sonia has joined forces with The Salvation Army and is urging everyone to support its annual Christmas Appeal. They're hoping to raise $27 million to assist families doing it tough because of the cost-of-living crisis.

"Everyone deserves to have food on their plate, a safe place to sleep and to be listened to and heard when things are tough," Sonia explains. She points to new research from the Salvos, which found that half of our parents are planning to buy less presents this year.