'RUSSH' editors share their holiday traditions with Pandora

WORDS RUSSH Editors PHOTOGRAPHY Olivia Repaci PUBLISHED Thu, 1 Dec 2022 - 9:45 am

In partnership with Pandora

For many of us, the holidays are synonymous with memories. Whether it's the hanging of Christmas baubles that have been passed down in your family for generations, or the feeling of pure joy as you settle in for a hot summer afternoon with friends – ice-cold spritzes and fresh prawn rolls in hand as you reflect on the year that was. In these moments shared with loved ones, it truly feels like life can't get any better. It's the type of energy you want to bottle up and keep with you forever; a togetherness, kindness, love and understanding that no gift could ever compare to. Pandora's holiday campaign, More Than A Gift embodies this exact feeling – reshaping the way we show and share our love with our nearest and dearest this festive season.

The collection, which is featured across both Pandora Moments and Pandora Timeless, invites us to nurture our existing holiday traditions, while also cementing new memories with family and friends. The Moments offering uniquely captures the spirit and magic of the season; looking to the poetic nature of the night sky to bring together a collection of unique designs that instantly transport you to a winter wonderland. Celestial moments are intertwined with the sweetness of snowflakes; all the while, a focus on craftsmanship shines through with pieces in sterling silver, 14k gold and 14k rose gold plating.

Elsewhere, for the jeweller's Timeless collection, the sentiment that big declarations come in small packages couldn't be more true. The offering is imbued with meaning and an undeniable romance that shines with enduring love; featuring classic, timeless designs and silhouettes inspired by both nature and the magic of a holiday wish.

For the RUSSH editors, some of who live far from friends and family, it's these lasting memories and traditions and the way they commemorate these celebrations that leaves the deepest mark during the holiday season. Whether it's images of mums and aunties huddled in the kitchen, or the tradition of passing down family heirlooms, the memories are priceless.

In the moments when words aren't enough, let Pandora's More Than A Gift collection write them for you. Here, RUSSH editors take a moment together before the year comes to a close to share their holiday traditions and how they're celebrating the festive season.

Jasmine Pirovic

Arts & Culture Editor

As a child the excitement of Christmas revolved around presents, being an adult means realising the best part is the food. In my family Christmas begins with dad bellowing carols while basting the Turkey — usually in a red frilly floral apron. By the time we're all comfortably subdued with ham and our plates resemble prawn graveyards, all the formalities of the holiday melt away and we swap our festive outfits for track pants and stake out our own platform in the house for a siesta. Not my mum though, and when we still celebrated with my extended family all the women and cousins would be toiling away in the kitchen, scooping sorbet into lemon husks, or participating in the production line of dishwashing. It's these moments I cherish above all.

Ella O'Keeffe

Fashion & Brand Features Editor

One of my favourite Christmas memories is experiencing my first real white Christmas in America as a kid. Growing up in England (and Australia), the snow was never lasting or particularly even impactful, so on Christmas morning, looking out the window of my Aunt’s house in Connecticut and seeing the backyard covered in snow and filled with deer (yes, actually), was one of those moments where the childlike joy never quite leaves you. I don’t have any recollection of the tangible gifts that were exchanged that year, but the little snowflake charms in Pandora’s Holiday collection take me fondly back to that time.

Elyssa Kostopoulos

Content Director

Growing up and spending much of the holidays with my grandparents, jewellery in particular was a special part of the way we commemorated milestone celebrations. What began as painting and stringing together penne necklaces in the backyard after a day spent at the local beach, evolved into Christmas Day's riffling through my grandmother's drawers with my cousins, looking for the latest addition to her collection that we would 'bags' for when we got older. It all seemed so frivolous until my 10th Christmas, when I received my first piece of 'real' jewellery. I still remember the sound of my Pandora charms chiming together as I made my way around the table, telling anyone who would listen about the gift Santa left under the tree. From that moment, jewellery became completely synonymous for me with memories, family and the magic of the holiday season. One of the only gifts that marries the sentiment of the physical with the emotional, it is still, and likely will forever be, my favourite gift to receive. Timeless, forever.

Kitty Callaghan

Contributing Editor

My favourite Christmas memories involve swimming in a river or a beach and digging out the 90s Christmas CDs that are as cheesy, scratched and poppy as they are sentimental. The smell of a big pine tree cut down from near my parents' house will never get old... Although we have moved on from having a tree the last few Christmas’, the memories are always there. Any Christmas spent with loved ones is more than a gift. For some, Christmas can be a very isolating time of year. So I’ll always remember it’s the gift of spending time with family – chosen or otherwise, that is most precious of all.