Famous Kiwis' top Christmas presents

Prime Minister John Key was left with a "headless reminder" of his most memorable Christmas present.

Mr Key, who will be spending his Christmas break in Hawaii on the island of Maui, was age ten when he tripped and smashed the gift from his aunty which he had been anticipating for weeks.

He told Stuff.co.nz that Aunty Pat's present had been teasing him, staring out from beneath the tree for weeks. 

"Every day I would poke and prod it, wondering what it was, and convincing myself this would be the best Christmas present ever.

"On Christmas Day I tore the wrapping off in great excitement only to find Aunty Pat had given me a large garden gnome.

"To say I was disappointed would be an understatement."

Mr Key's mother insisted he lug the huge gnome outside to the garden. "In the process, I tripped on the garden path, the gnome smashed, and there he lay - just a headless reminder, for months to come."

But the following year his disappointing run was reversed when he received "the coolest chopper bike", complete with hooter, and ribbons. "It almost made up for the crushing disappointment of the Christmas before."

For TV3 presenter Kate Rodger it was also a childhood gift which had the most impact.

Her first pool toy, an inflatable cow she called Chloe, taught her an important lesson in life, she said.

"When Dad built the quintessential Kiwi Para Pool back in the day, it was cause for enormous excitement, and I have fond recollections of her to this day.

"She [Chloe] was a lesson in loyalty, balance, lung capacity and water safety, and she personified the age old adage that what goes up, must come down.  

"Life can be deflating sometimes, and it pays to learn how to swim sooner rather than later.  I will always thank Chloe the Cow for that."

New Zealand Top Model contestant Ruby Higgins also harks to the outdoors when it comes to her favourite Christmas present - a swing-ball set that her dad got her last year

The gift was "serious fun with that awesomeness."

But she had enjoyed playing with it so much that it broke within a few days from overuse.

For Labour Party Leader Phil Goff his favourite gift was his two sons and a daughter - Kristopher, Sara and Kieran - all born about two months before Christmas.

"They were all born while I was in Parliament and I was very grateful for the time off over the holiday season to spend with them. They weren't always my favourites when they were teenagers though."

Comedian Rhys Darby told Stuff via his Twitter account that his favourite Christmas present when he was child was a Cowboys and Indians pup tent. "It became my gang headquarters. I put it up on my front lawn and it remained there for 2 whole summers!"

So what was your favourite, or most memorable Christmas present?

- © Fairfax NZ News