I left grass and carrots and pails of water out for the reindeer to convince Santa I had what it took to look after a pony on my own, but sadly, Santa never left a horse tethered to the back porch in Tokoroa, Turangi or Waihi.
After my initial disappointment when I woke up on Christmas Day and I realised I'd be pony-less for another year, I'd be easily diverted with a Bay City Rollers album or a new Nancy Drew novel or Charlie perfume.
Although I would never admit it at the time, I also enjoyed the church service, preferably the one on Christmas Eve.
As hard as it was to stay up for Midnight Mass, at least it was better than holding off opening presents until we had attended church on Christmas Day and giving Baby Jesus his due.
When I had a child of my own, the Festive Freak in me really kicked in.
We've had fabulous Christmases - at our house and at the homes of others. The more the merrier and the madder the better as far as I was concerned.
Everyone was welcome and there were always presents for the waifs and strays under the tree.
But this year, with my girl grown up and married and having Christmas in London, I'm finding it hard to get into the festive spirit.
The rampant commercialisation of Christmas offends me to my core now.
I don't have a tree yet and probably won't get one.
We used to have a Christmas tree ritual at our house where we'd go to the same place every year and Kate would choose a tree, a process that required quite some deliberation.
She was also in charge of dressing the tree and one of the reasons I'm ambivalent about getting one is because last year, when I had to do it, it looked like I'd forcibly restrained the poor pine.
I had no idea how to get the tree looking as good as Kate made it look.
Anyway, there'll be precious few presents to put under a tree, given it will just be my mum, my husband and me this year.
I really should have had more children. I feel this most keenly at Christmas. The present side of things is really all about the kids.
You know you're getting old when you say, "I don't want a present" and you mean it.
I can remember mum saying that when I was young and I was incredulous. How could anyone NOT want a present at Christmas? But the rampant commercialisation of Christmas offends me to my core now.
And until I'm lucky enough to have grandchildren, it might be time to reconnect with the aspects of Christmas that are so lovely.
Spending precious time with the people you love. Cooking beautiful food and sharing it with family and friends. Maybe even heading back to the church to be uplifted by the carols and the messages of joy and hope.
The 2013 census showed that Christianity had lost hundreds of thousands of followers in the seven years since the previous Census and that four out of 10 New Zealanders declared themselves non-religious.
But try and find a park outside an Anglican or Catholic church on Christmas Eve and you'd be forgiven for thinking we New Zealanders are a nation of Christian rectitude.
I love it that people observe the traditions at Christmas.
We're a young country with precious few rites and rituals. Christmas is one of the few days of the year when people make a real effort to follow the rites of passage they enjoyed with their families.
It's a time when people are generous and giving - to people they love and to complete strangers. It's a time when being with family and friends is considered paramount.
In an uncertain and changing world, having our own traditions anchors us.
Oh, sod it. I'll go down and pick up the last unloved Christmas tree. I'll give it a home and decorate it and keep at least one of our family's rituals alive.
Kerre McIvor is on Newstalk ZB Monday-Thursday, 8pm-midnight.
