Kristie Mewis admitted there is one thing dominating her Christmas wish list this year.
Last month, the West Ham United women’s team midfielder announced the wonderful news that she is expecting her first child with her fiancée Sam Kerr in 2025, so this Christmas, Mewis has asked family and friends for maternity gifts.
The United States international will hope to be unwrapping baby outfits by the beach as she heads to Australia for her festivities this year - celebrating with her partner’s family.
“It will be really nice because I’m getting some warm weather and some sun,” joked Mewis. “Whereas if we were going to my house in Boston, it would be freezing and icy. It’s nice to go to Australia because you get something completely different.
“I don’t tend to do too much surfing, my partner’s from Perth, which is on the other side of Australia, and I feel it’s in Sydney where they do a lot of surfing. We kind of just lay on the beach, we’re a little lazy when we’re there!”
It was last Christmas that Mewis put pen to paper in east London and since her move to the capital, she has been limited to catching up with her family back home in the States virtually.
That all changed in the November international break however, as Mewis flew back to celebrate thanksgiving with her loved ones, a special time that she cherished dearly.
“My sister and her husband recently just moved to Vermont, so my parents drove up from Boston and we did thanksgiving at my sister’s, which was so nice!” she said.
“It was so nice to be home, and I feel like in the international windows over the past couple of years I haven’t been able to go home, so it was really nice to be there.
“It [spending time with family] doesn’t happen often, so I feel like the older we get, the more separated we get and the more busy we get. It was really good quality time that we all needed and having all four of us together was really special.”
Kristie Mewis' festive favourites...
What is your favourite Christmas song?
Last Christmas by Wham, I’m so obsessed with that one this year. Normally it’s Mariah Carey, obviously, but I’m so obsessed with Wham this year for whatever reason.
I started playing Christmas songs way earlier this year, I think it was 1 November. Once Halloween was over I started, I couldn’t help it!
What is the best part of a Christmas meal?
Normally when I’m home, I love all the carbs. We have pumpkin bread, French toast casserole, all of those types of foods.
In Australia, we have a lot of seafood. We’ll have some grilled lamb chops, a lot of stuff on the grill, summer foods.
What is one part of a Christmas meal you don't like?
Sometimes [in America] we have ham, and I don’t care for it. I don’t know who enjoys it, why we have it, is it just tradition? I feel it’s just a tradition thing, but I can do without it.
What is one thing on your Christmas list this year?
I am pregnant, so I’m asking for all of the maternity stuff! There’s so much you have to buy, so I’m just waiting to get all of the little kid outfits.
I’m hoping that I can just gather all of that from my relatives!
What is the best Christmas present you’ve ever received?
I’m trying to think of when I was a kid, because presents are so much more special when you’re younger.
I think it would have to be a trip to Disney World when I was ten or eleven. I was so excited!
Which member of the squad would you most want to spend Christmas with?
I’d probably say Katie [O'Hanlon] because she’s so funny and she just makes me laugh. She’s such a good person to have around!
What is your New Year’s resolution?
I say stuff but I don’t actually hold myself to it!
I think because I’m having a child, I want to be mentally and physically ready for that. I just want to do everything I possibly can to get into the best state possible.
