Kate and Gerry McCann will buy presents for Madeleine in the hope that she will be found by Christmas. The couple are convinced she is alive and are praying for a 'Christmas miracle', Kate's father Brian Healy said.
They will place her presents under the tree next to those for their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, and will keep them safe for her return, he said.
Mr Healy, 67, said: "We will all buy her a present and they will be under the tree waiting for her when she comes home. This is going to be one of the most difficult times of the year for all of us because Madeleine, like all children, especially loved Christmas. I will never forget how happy the whole family was last year as we watched the three children play so blissfully together. It is just unbearable to think that it could have been our last Christmas together."
Mr Healy, of Allerton, Merseyside, added: "We are just hoping that people will be thinking of Madeleine more than ever because it is Christmas and it might lead to a breakthrough. Christmas is the time for miracles and this would be the ultimate Christmas present we could ever wish for." (Daily Mail)