Pauleen may be in self-imposed isolation with turkey and pav off the menu but she doesn't starve.
"I indulge myself on chocolates, chippies, feta cheese and there's always a bottle of good sauvignon blanc within reach.
"My girls ring during the day, that's lovely, but otherwise it's just me and my favourite DVDs, ones like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas… pure bliss."
Scotch any ideas of this December 25 solo flyer being a Grinch or scrooge, she's definitely neither.
Throughout the year Pauleen saves "a little here and there" from her super, her sole income source, but rather than splashing out on herself she diverts the proceeds to those she knows will be genuinely lonely.
"One year I took baskets of jams, pickles and magazines to the pensioner flats, an elderly resident said he'd never been visited like that in his life, that's what makes Christmas for me."
She "adores" sending and receiving Christmas cards.
Gosh, Christmas cards in this email age?
"Yes, and during the year I write long letters, I like to stay in touch with people who don't have computers."
A kindly thought from this former Senior Net convenor.
Christmas is the only time of the year Pauleen's not immersed in more activities than Our People can possibly list.
Writing's her passion. She's a woman who loves words, verbal and written. "Slothful" was the word of the moment the day we chatted.
"Don't you just love the sound of it? That's me to a tee on Christmas Day. Because a lot of my pursuits are sedentary I sometimes think one day there'll be a huge hole in this couch that I've disappeared down."
A long-time member of the Rotorua Writers' Group and its former treasurer, she contributes regularly to this newspaper's letters to the editor.
"I try to write positive things about current issues."
Pauleen's a published author. Her love of genealogy - "I've appointed myself the family historian" - led to penning an account of her great grandfather, Thomas Wells, an early Marlborough settler, serving on a 1866 jury trying an axe murderer.
"It was a fascinating case, his wife and son were called as witnesses."
Her genealogical research has uncovered two uncles killed in action during World War I.
"One of the high points of my life was being asked to give the Anzac Day address at Havelock [Marlborough] to tell their stories."
Long before she took to writing and family research, sport was Pauleen's favoured activity.
She made her first Rotorua friends through the Badminton Club after her 1970s arrival.
Golf replaced badminton. Coming to the game cold Pauleen was a natural with club and ball.
"I got down to a five handicap, had four holes-in-one, well one was a bit of a Clayton's, the pin was in the wrong hole."
Each was at her home club, Springfield, where she captained the Saturday ladies' players, represented the club at Bay of Plenty level and became a national trialist.
Off the course her reintroduction to the workforce was motivated by her marriage break up.
"I realised I had to earn an income, my first job was barmaid in the police station canteen [now closed].
"I wasn't really a drinker, at the interview I poured a stubbie, it went all over the table and down my leg but I got the job. I was told I'd also be the bouncer, here was all 5 foot 4 inches [1.63m] of me expected to manhandle these big beefy six footers, thankfully they were policemen, most knew how to behave themselves. . . working there allowed me to play golf during the day."
This is a woman with a wicked wit; laugh-out-loud anecdotes riddle a recitation of the working life she calls 'varied'. Fashion boutiques, Telecom, WINZ, Housing New Zealand (HNZ), Pauleen's been there, done that.
"One of the strangest gifts I've received was in the Telecom shop, This funny little guy who was setting up a knocking shop came in and presented me with a set of crystal taps, to this day I haven't a clue why."
At HNZ the entertainment was on her.
"I went there on a project, I love projects, I learn so much from them, I was looking after the mail, called myself the bag lady.
"One day there was this big conference going on, I decided they needed a laugh over drinkies.
"For my 50th my daughters gave me a blow up doll, I called him Humphrey so I dressed him up in fishnet stockings, silk kimono, a wig and re-christened him Humpaleena, taking her seven flights up in the Zen Centre, they got their laugh alright.
"After that Humphrey/Humpaleena had a better social life than I did until the puncture that sadly killed him/her off."
Pauleen's life hasn't been all fun and games. While at Telecom cancer of the cervical variety was diagnosed.
"I was one of the lucky ones, didn't need chemo, went back to work as a faults operator."
With two more sleeps until the presents are opened, the feasting begun, what's Pauleen's concept of Christmas?
"It's about being together as a family, being happy, but don't go overboard."
PAULEEN WILKINSON
Born: Blenheim, 1945.
Education: Havelock Primary, Marlborough College.
Family: Two daughters, two grandsons, two great grandchildren.
Interests: Reading "I'm passionate about books." Rotorua Writers' Group, genealogy former Senior Net convenor, present convenor U3A Writing for Families group, quizzes (captained this year's McLeods Booksellers' winning quiz team), movies, DVDs, code crackers, jigsaws, scrabble, cards. "I collect things; coins, stamps, post cards, pennies. I used to collect men but gave that up."
On her life: "I'm having a wonderful life . . . it's an open book."
Personal philosophy: "Smile."