While we are all planning who will cook what for Christmas lunch, the presidential family has a few other, slightly different commitments and priorities to take care of.

“It is our third Christmas here at the Palace,” says the First Lady of Malta, Mrs Margaret Abela.

The staff working at the palace take care of all the decorations, and although in some families it is considered a special moment of putting things together, decorating the presidential palace is just like any other duty.

“I still take part in the decision-making, the planning and the ideas. We discuss things together and then the staff decorate the rooms,” Mrs Abela explains.

Mrs Abela is also preparing for the big 12-hour event, L-Istrina, as well as for the Christmas celebrations at the San Anton palace, for which a special tent will be put up for the mass and for guests to be entertained for the occasion.

“We are working very hard on L-Istrina,” Mrs Abela says. “It is a very important event for us during the Christmas period. We collect a lot of money for people in need.”

“A team of people and professionals work to ensure that the money is used for important causes. Many sick people need hospitalisation and operations abroad – we use the money collected from L-Istrina to pay for flights and accommodation for the patients’ family. These are our priority cases,” explains Mrs Abela.