Those are the words of Daily Liberal competition winner Helen Walsh who won two great Christmas presents.

Mrs Walsh said she put 10 entries into the competition and was "absolutely surprised" when she received a call asking her to collect her prizes.

"I went to the trouble of entering and it paid off," she said.

"I feel very happy.

"The excitement of winning was the fun part."

Mrs Walsh won 10 x $100 Midwest Foods vouchers and a $100 Riverside Nursery voucher.

Food was an essential in life and the grocery gift cards would go a long way to help over the Christmas period.

"It is a useful prize to win which means one less thing to worry about," she said.

Mrs Walsh said she had a tough year personally and the prizes brightened up her world and lifted her spirits.

Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and all her family from across the state would come together to enjoy a festive lunch, she said.

Turkey, glazed, ham, pork and salads were on the menu.

Homemade Christmas pudding using her mother's recipe would be one of the special desserts.

"This year's Christmas treat is minced pies and I've made them since I was a little girl," she said.

Mrs Walsh said she was excited to see her grandchildren who were "absolutely marvellous" and to share the Christmas joy with them.

Even though the grandchildren would make a big mess, she was happy to have them over and would worry about cleaning after they left.

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THE SKYROCKETING price of electricity and rising living costs has put a dampener on Frances Munro's Christmas for a while - but not anymore.

Mrs Munro now feels a new sense of hope, Christmas joy and the festivities of the season have hit home.

The Dubbo resident placed six entries into the Daily Liberal competition and hoped to win the big prize- $1000 Midwest Foods voucher.

With the higher cost of living it was a pretty difficult to make ends meet, she said.

At first she received a call from the Daily Liberal asking her to collect the $200 Nova Scotia voucher.

She said she thought once she won one prize it meant she could not win the food vouchers.

"The same day I was halfway through my grocery shopping in Franklins when the Liberal called me and told me I won (the Midwest Foods vouchers)," she said.

"I was surprised, so happy and I was nearly jumping over the trolley. It couldn't have come at a better time.

"My first reaction was, 'Aaaaah..did I? Wow!'"

Mrs Munro said she was jumping for joy with two much-needed Christmas prizes.

The grocery vouchers gave her room to breathe and eased the financial burden for the family.

"It's the shining star of the Christmas tree," she said.

Mrs Munro said the Midwest Foods vouchers would enable her to fill the dining table with several varieties of foods for the Christmas lunch.

"The prizes have changed my whole outlook of the season of joy," she said.

"I used to dread it but now I'm looking forward to it. I love Christmas."