Candice Falzon and fiance David Warner can’t wait to spend their daughter Ivy Mae’s first Christmas together. Source: Supplied

This is a Christmas of firsts for me, as a new Mum and as a fiance and once again I’m spending Christmas as part of my newly gained Cricket Australia family.

I’ve always adored this time of year but with so many new experiences ahead the anticipation of the holidays has been even more thrilling.

Somehow the carols seem jollier, the shops seem merrier and the cello-tape isn’t doing that thing where it makes a huge annoying sticky ball. Good, good times!

I have always loved Christmas. As a child I relished the magic of the day enthusiastically inhaling every custard-soaked, present-frenzied, family-filled moment.

Like a million kids before me, I’d be up at the crack of dawn to see if Santa had been, dragging my bleary-eyed parents from their beds and scrambling for strong coffees long before the sun had officially risen.

After the last piece of colourful wrapping paper had floated gently to the floor, I would always head to Maroubra Beach for a swim before our extended family descended upon our home and Mum served everyone lunch.

When I was a nipper, Santa would come down to the beach in what I now see was a uniquely Australian Christmas tradition.

We’d all yell and madly cheer hoping he’d pass lollies in our direction and all of us kids would jostle for position on the sand as he handed out the sweet treats.

I love that the best Christmas memories from my own childhood are the small ones.

All my special moments seem to be built around good times, laughter, family and friends, set against Sydney beaches life.

Christmas 2014 will be a more southerly affair for us.

As Dave is playing the Boxing Day Test, we will be in Melbourne with our ‘cricket family’ in anticipation of the game the next day.

Cricket Australia hosts and it’s a truly wonderful event with a great lunch, Santa making an appearance for the kids and everyone kicking back and relaxing - like any other family does.

There’s laughter, bad cracker jokes, children everywhere and buttons popping under swollen food-filled bellies – it’s a day built around making people who aren’t at home on Christmas Day feel at home anyway. Cricket Australia is amazing like that.

Our cricket family is amazing too.

Being a professional sportsperson can be a sometimes challenging and lonely life but we are incredibly fortunate to be spoiled with our extended cricket family - one as good as any you could choose!

Cricketer David Warner with his daughter Ivy. Source: Supplied

Candice Falzon and Ivy watch David Warner play cricket. Source: News Corp Australia

Our own little Ivy is also blessed to be now growing up alongside the other cricketer’s children and in years to come I can’t wait to see her tearing around with Shane Watson and Mitch Johnson’s gorgeous kiddies adding to the beautiful, chaotic atmosphere that is our cricketing Christmas.

It’s no secret that family, to me, is everything.

This year will be our first Christmas as a trio and I’m happily overwhelmed with the sheer wonder of it all.

Little Ivy will only be 14 weeks so it won’t be the first Christmas she remembers but I intend to start small and we’ll build from there.

I’ve a handful of presents for her under the tree – she may be still tiny but Saint Nick won’t forget her!

And of course we’ll brave the shops for her first ever “Santa photo”.

In years to come I’ll put her old and new Santa photos out side by side and delightedly compare with her Dad how she’s grown and changed.

I can’t wait to lay out cookies and milk, have an Elf on the Shelf, an advent calendar and to sing badly to Buble’s carols as we all put up a tree.

These are all the best things yet to come.

Just like my Mum did, I’m planning on creating our own special memories, embracing the simple joys and truly celebrating every little Christmas pleasure.

I hope you have enjoyed your own family in the lead up to the ‘big day’.

Treasure every minute!

Merry Christmas