Reader's Digest Australia Dec/Jan 2025

RD: Lee, what is your dream Christ- mas wish? Lee: My dreamwould be to scoopmy entire English family up, put them all on a plane to Australia, so that the kids would enjoy the amazing exuberance of this country. We’d visit Cairns, the Barrier Reef, cook together, and just have a great time. Family is very important to me. RD: What are your best insider tips for getting the best deals and shopping for Christmas from TVSN? Lee: Shop from the catalogue as it often has special free gifts. So, you buy a great gift and also receive one for yourself. This year, for instance, we had a lovely silver bracelet valued at $29.95 gifted with every purchase from the TVSN catalogue. The catalogue also has exclusive items not shown until much later on TV. My other tip would be to shop early! A lot of our Christmas selection is lim- ited in quantity and impossible to restock. RD: Has a TVSN fan ever sent you a Christmas present? Lee: Yes! My Best Christmas Memory at TVSN was when one of our wonder- ful customers painted a portrait of sev- eral of the presenters and mailed them to the studios. I loved mine! She cap- tured my silliness perfectly, and my Mum loved it when I took a picture and sent it to her in the UK. RD: Why is Christmas time so fun working for TVSN? Lee: Christmas is always a fun new journey every year at TVSN. The magic begins as soon as the studio is deco- rated with stunning decorations. We have the best job in the universe, as every week we reveal amazing gifts from the four corners of the world. So many of our gifts are exclusive and unique, so I feel like Santa every day. RD: What’s the best thing about being a presenter at TVSN? Lee: The genuine connection to our customers. They become our friends over the years. That means we live through the good times and the chal- reader ’ s digest 56   december 2025/january 2026 lenging times with them. We meet their children and fur babies. We see their families grow and change over time. We laugh and cry with them. The feedback we receive from our loyal customers is invaluable, and it makes me feel like I am part of a big TVSN family. It is definitely not just a job! RD: How long has TVSN been around? Le e: Our 30th Birthday o n the 4th December is such a huge milestone. So much has changed since it all started in 1995! One of our wonderful presenter team Marnie Meredith has been at TVSN since the first day, which is amazing. Many of our fabulous cus- tomers have also been with us for 30 years. This loyalty proves how powerful our community is. I truly believe that we are part of their lives in so many more ways than just shopping. We are live 13 hours a day, and we have a chat and share sto- ries with our customers. Turning 30 is a milestone, yet I believe we can con- tinue to move into the future for another 30 years or more. Happy Christmas, everyone! Here’s to a wonderful year ahead for all. Unwrap the excitement every day as TVSN celebrates its 30th birthday, a nd enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own home this festive season with TVSN’s special Christmas catalogue, with a fabulous collection of cleverly selected and unique gift ideas you won’t discover anywhere else. The History of TVSN On the 4th December 1995, one of Australia’s first dedicated shopping networks debuted, intending to sell quality products to consumers who could ‘shop’ from the comfort of their own homes. This bold new concept was based on selling on live television and required a huge amount of trust in the carefully selected presenters. In 2004, TVSN was acquired by Direct Group Pty Ltd (known for its cat- alogue businesses such as Innova- readersdigest.com.au    57 Cover Story