Rebecca Roberts Hedgeroe Home

“I like to have my secateurs handy while out on a walk. At this time of year there is so much to inspire! I mix flowers from the garden with foraged berries and foliage. It is a great way of adding natural drama to any arrangement, as well as extra greenery at a time when our gardens lie dormant.”@hedgeroe_home

Liz Moloney Amber Design

“Wreath-making has become quite the tradition at my company, Amber Design in London, and an opportunity to do something creative with clients. We put on Christmas music, have some bubbles and let the creativity flow. My client Sarah Cleary [right] who has a wonderful garden at her house in Essex, provided the beautiful foliage and berries. Sarah works with Aesop so she loved the idea of adding natural scents to the wreath with cinnamon and lavender.”www.amberdesigngroup.co.uk 

Charlotte Bradshaw Dylan Bradshaw

“Anyone who knows me knows my favourite time is the build-up to Christmas, not just Christmas itself. When the 25th comes I’m sad it’s all over, a bit like my nine-year-old when he wakes up on Christmas morning and realises the elf on the shelf has left! Devastated. My mum died in 2020, the matriarch of the family who made all our Christmas puddings (I have eight brothers) so last year was the fi rst without her and it was left to me to make them – nine!” www.dylanbradshaw.com

Ruth Maria Murphy @ruthmariaphotos

Photographer Ruth Maria Murphy is hosting this year. “I live beside The Garden House in Malahide in Dublin which stocks wonderful Christmas decorations. I decided on a woodland theme and picked up felt and wooden mushrooms and furry animal tree decorations for my toddlers’ amusement, to which I will add add pinecones and greenery. This year, my Christmas cards are by illustrator Enagh Farrell – intricate drawings of trees, in keeping with my theme.” www.ruthmaria.com

Tamso Doyle Baroda Stud

“Christmas is so cleverly timed to brighten up a dark and cold time of the year and I fully embrace it! I start gathering presents and make my Christmas cards the first week in November but hold off decorating the house until the first week in December. I like my decorations as natural as possible. I get the wonderful Ciara Durham in The Potting Shed to make my wreath and swags – I love her rustic style.” @tamso 

Judy Gilroy @judygilroy

“Christmas in our house this year is even more special with baby Stella,” says fashion and interiors stylist Judy. “In my early 20s, when I lived in tiny apartments with no space for a Christmas tree, I always made a mantel garland. It’s become more sophisticated over the years, but the idea is still the same – a fabulously festive focal point!” @judygilroy 

Pam Brangan @akapambrangan

“In November, I sift through my favourite saved Christmas magazines, take out cards and invitations I’ve made over the years, check Instagram for my saved Christmas posts and and start to compile a festive mental moodboard. I plan a family day out: I’ll book Cirque du Soleil or The Rockettes at Radio City, reserve a table at Frenchette or Le Charlot and end the day window-shopping and soaking up the atmosphere. It’s a fun treat en famille but it also inspires – the starter may appear on my own Christmas menu, the Rockefeller Center tree may infl uence the colour scheme for the Douglas Fir at home, the a capella group could prompt a new Christmas playlist.” @akapambrangan 

Joolie Collier @joolie

“I am Christmas-centric pretty much 365. I’ll happily blast Christmas music in July, decorations cannot go up early enough, my fiancé calls me a “Christmas nutter”. I enjoy the run-up in London and then the big kahuna in Laois. I drive my mother and aunt mad with dinner themes, dress codes and family activities. Wrapping is done in front a Harry Potter movie; dinner and the Brown Thomas windows is a family pilgrimage. Even my four-legged diva looks great in a red velvet bow and has insisted on her own stocking.” @joolie

Anita Murray Edvard & Pink

Anita Murray, founder, Edvard & Pink, Dundrum Town Centre, is giving gifts of self-care and escapism, a muscle-melting massage, a candle or a relaxing facial to lift spirits for 2022. “More than ever, it’s important to celebrate and enjoy life’s simplest pleasures – the pursuits that genuinely nourish us and truly make us happy. I love creating special little moments for others to enjoy. My daughter Ava and I make a big fuss with our Christmas wrapping which can be a gift in itself, the recipient peeling back the paper, savouring the pleasure.” www.edvardandpink.com 

Imen McDonnell @imenmcdonnell

“When our son Geoffrey was little, we had a ritual of searching for our favourite tree in the beautiful family wood in Limerick. However, we stopped cutting down trees a few years ago and now opt for potted trees as a more sustainable option. A family tradition is to trim the tree while sipping my homemade American-style egg nog and listening to the soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi. We plant more trees each year so they will be available for generations of McDonnells to come!”@imenmcdonnell

Jessica Garland-Blake @bash__studios

“When I get back to Ireland a few days before Christmas, I have friends over for mulled wine, dinner and clove orange-making,” says event stylist Jessica. “Having a small festive fl oral arrangement on the dining table makes an impact. A Christmas table doesn’t have to be elaborate: Collect some pinecones, visit a fabric store and make a tablecloth … be as creative as you can. I also love making Christmas crackers with something simple inside them!” @bash__studios

Lauren McCreery Les Petits, Monaco

“I feel a bit like Santa Claus with a workshop full of toys as I recently launched an online children’s concept store, Les Petits and do all the packing and posting myself. I have always loved this time of year, but it’s even more special now I have a daughter. We start decorating the house in the middle of November, even though the tree will have wilted long before the big day. We live in the South of France, so we mix Irish traditions with local ones. I made my own mince pies for the first time last week. It’s cold here at Christmas but we love going to outdoor markets and munching on hot chestnuts and Socca, a pancake made with chickpea flour and sprinkled with pepper.” www.lespetits.fr 

Carol Gaillard @mailhosgarden

“Our Christmas in rural France is a celebration of food shared with friends as our families live too far away to pop around for dinner,” says Irish food writer Carol who new book Mange Tout, has just been published in France.“On Christmas Eve, Jean François, my husband, lays a long table for 20 in the barn which is heated only by a wood stove. Everyone eats wrapped in woollens, scarves and gloves until we begin dancing. Layers are shed and we might even get warm enough to get a glimpse of a party dress. There is no choice but to dance to keep warm or else the party is over!” @mailhosgarden 

Arlene McIntyre Ventura Design

“Christmas is extra special for us this year as our daughter Allyson has grasped the idea of Father Christmas and for the first time helped dress the tree. We add a new decoration every Christmas so we can look back and reflect on the things we associate with that particular year. Juergen is an amazing cook and I love to style the table – we are a good team!” www.ventura.ie 

Carol-Anne Leyden CA Design

Carol-Anne Leyden of CA Design starts with the dining room. “Decorating with luxurious fabrics and winter foliage makes it feel so festive. Darker woods like walnut look amazing when paired with winter trimmings in a dim candlelit room.” www.cadesign.ie 

Amy Condell @imaraearth

“Christmas is very much a family affair for me,” says Amy, founder and designer of clothing company Imara Earth. “My husband and I spend every other Christmas on my parents’ farm in Donegal. We pull on our wellies and trudge through muddy fields with the dogs to pick sloes for sloe gin and holly from the wild holly bushes. Then we spend a fun few hours as my father tells us stories of the history of our wonderful farm.” @imaraearth 

Honour Wainwright Boodles

Brought up in the Boodles family business, I was always allowed to help with the Christmas windows. Once a young girl on work experience, now working fulltime, I still get stuck in! This year, the theme is Boodles Winter Wonderland, with ice and snow and silver birch, and of course a snowman!” www.boodles.com  

Karen Morton Kilakee Christmas Tree Farm

Karen Morton of the idyllic Kilakee Christmas Tree Farm in the Dublin mountains, says “Christmas starts in early autumn, planning for the upcoming season. As well as pick your own trees, we make beautiful handmade wreaths and garlands which we sell in the weeks before Christmas.” www.christmastreefarm.ie 

Dawn Hill Floraison

“The run-up to Christmas is always busy,” says Dawn, facialist and owner of Floraison on Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2, “but this year people are extremely organised and buying gifts early. That people choose to share the Floraison experience with someone they love still knocks me for six! Every product is packed with gratitude.” www.floraison.ie 

Patrick Meade Belisarius

“This is the time when purchases I have made all over the world start to arrive for my gallery, Belisarius. It’s a joy to open the packages, a bit like Christmas morning! I examine the pieces to ensure they made the journey without incident, before I catalogue, photograph and feature them on our website. The works are often unique, some hundreds of years old. In the lead-up to Christmas, I present lots of new pieces – people are always looking for special things to give as gifts.” www.belisarius.com 

Anne Heffernan @anne_heffernan

“As a collage artist I love paper and enjoy using my stash of magazines to make simple Christmas cards with seasonal motifs. Blank cards and envelopes are available in art and hobby shops or you can make your own from heavy paper. Colourful magazine pages are perfect for wrapping small gifts, and shopping bags make great wrapping paper. Making cards and decorations is a fun activity to do with family or friends, sipping some festive drinks and having nibbles, Christmas music playing in the background.” @anne_heffernan

Dorothy MacCann The Merrion

“Every November, the Leading Hotels of the World convention takes place in a fabulous location, such as Paris or Beijing. I go with my husband, Peter, who is GM of The Merrion. We always bring home a Christmas decoration as a souvenir. Our Christmas tree is getting heavier each year with these ornaments, but it’s such a pleasure to decorate the tree and remember all the cities we have visited.” www.merrionhotel.com 

Glynis Robins @glynisrobins 

“Christmas for me is all about decorating the house and outdoor spaces, baking for Christmas Day with all the family and making Christmas cards. We are lucky to have moved to a very old house with lots of indoor and outdoor spaces a barn which is my studio. Our garden, previously tended to by a renowned and passionate gardener, yields plenty of gorgeous flowers and foliage to decorate with.” @glynisrobins 

Laura Nolan Horgan LNH EDIT

“Setting the Christmas table is a special tradition in our family that started when I was young helping my mum who put great thought into every detail. My love affair with table settings grew and this year we launched LNH EDIT, a lifestyle brand with tableware, bedlinen and fashion. LNH Christmas pieces are designed to last, to be layered and be added to year after year.” www.lhnedit.com 

Maura Kent @maurakent

“I highly recommend putting your tree up early. The children absolutely love the tree appearing in November and that childhood delight is infectious. A tip I picked up from a lady known here in Dubai as ‘Mrs Christmas’ (she decorates all the hotels) is to allocate 100 lights per foot of tree. It sounds excessive but it makes all the difference.”@maurakent 

Gerard Byrne @gerard_byrne_artist

“At this time of year I paint still lifes of seasonal foliage and flowers, such as the Pink Sensation hellebore, the Christmas rose, which I am issuing as a luxury print. My tip for Christmas: Be creative. I love receiving handmade cards. You don’t need a lot of artistic skill or talent to create a unique card that will make an impression and be cherished for years to come.” @gerard_byrne_artist

Emma Stone Borleagh Manor

“The trees go up early in my house, and December is busy styling Christmas for clients and holding some Christmas wreath-making workshops here at Borleagh Manor. The real joy comes for me in the days just before Christmas, creating beautiful garlands for the rooms, filling the place with natural scent. And a big winter walk with the dogs or a hack out in the woods on the horse is as good as it gets.”@home.for.the.weekends 

Shelly Corkery Brown Thomas

“Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year, in the store and at home,” says Brown Thomas Fashion Director Shelly Corkery. “In the weeks before Christmas, I’ll light Jo Malone’s classic Pine and Eucalyptus candles for their evocative scent and hang a fragrant wreath from Appassionata on the door. The best part of Christmas is spending time with family and friends, but the best part of the prep is selecting gifts. I’ll shop in the store of course, from our luxury boutiques (including the fabulous Bvlgari pop-up) and The Marvel Room.” www.brownthomas.com 

Erica Sheehan Homespun

“Christmas for me is about sharing good food with family and friends. I love coming up with seasonal menu ideas for my business Homespun, which I often recreate with a healthier twist using our Chicory Root syrup, a prebiotic and low-sugar honey alternative. I also like to shop for Irish produce in Avoca and support local artisan food brands. For entertaining, I’ll order a showstopping cake from The Fox and the Flour and bunches of fresh eucalyptus from The Garden florist.” www.homespun.ie

Fionnuala Ardee Kilruddery House

“I enjoy transforming our 19th-century barn into a welcoming space, adding garlands and wreaths, and love making our visitors feel at home, serving them mulled wine, and cakes by Sofie Losher in front of a roaring fire. In the Grain Store Restaurant, there are suppers each Friday evening and feasts for private occasions.” @killrudderyhouse

Teodora Sutra @teodorasutra

“Christmas is most definitely my favourite time of the year. The more time I spend around sparkly Christmas lights and colourful baubles the better – they improve my mood! I like to get crafty and make wreaths and pretty table and tree decorations. I love drying out oranges and grapefruits – the house smells of citrus for days afterwards. To make a garland, I thread citrus slices, pinecones, cinnamon sticks and goldsprayed dried leaves onto jute twine. This year my daughter Isabella is able to appreciate all the Christmas prep.” @teodorasutra

Teresa Crowley Russborough House

“Making pomanders and dressing mantelpieces are just two of the many lovely Christmassy things we do at Russborough to make this gem of Georgian architecture inviting for the many guests who come to visit. Whether guests want to tour the house, have lunch or afternoon tea, attend a play or wreath-making class or visit our fabulous new gift shop, a beautifully festive atmosphere awaits – and hidden treasures to explore.” www.russborough.ie

Hannah Corcoran Over the Moon Baby Boutique

“I light the fire every night,” says Hannah of Over the Moon Baby Boutique. “It feels like the heart of the home. I make sure the mantel is nicely decorated with eucalyptus, dried hydrangeas from my garden, pinecones, holly and some little figurines hidden for the little ones to seek out. It is important to play around with height, have taller candles and greening cascading down for a whimsical feel.” www.overthemoonmonkstown.com 

Sadhbh O’Gorman and Rosie Johnson Provenance Interiors, Clifden

“Winter is the perfect time to layer up! We layer wools with linens, use old family dinner plates with an oversized napkin and a sprig of seasonal foliage. Pile it on we say, it can look great and it’s fun. Use any fabric – an Indian quilt, linen sheet or pretty remnants as placemats. Candles are so important too, the more colourful the better. Old tumblers can hold tealights. Shells, pinecones and foliage add natural charm.” www.provenanceinteriors.ie 

Tara O’Connor The Designed Table

“Christmas for our family is very traditional. I have the house decorated in time for the Late Late Toy Show. I do three trees every year, each with a different theme and colour. Gathering around the Christmas table, inviting family and friends for a festive supper or cocktail party or a New Year’s brunch – no other time of year serves up so many opportunities to celebrate around a pretty table with food, family and friends.” www.thedesignedtable.com 

Clare Anne Taylor Clare Ann Taylor Couture Cakes

“I love to make gingerbread garlands, a fun way to get children involved in Christmas baking,” says couture cakemaker Clare Anne. “To decorate, I use a combination of icing, Smarties, chocolate buttons and striped candy canes tied with ribbon.” www.clareannetaylor.ie

Ritika Callow The Wilton Gallery

“We decorate the gallery with traditional red ribbon and greenery for our Winter Group Exhibition, a nice opportunity to shop and enjoy some wine from our secret cellar. On Christmas Day, I’ll go to the Forty Foot for a dip and look forward to the thrill of the races on St Stephen’s Day. Another December ritual is hot chocolate, this year from newly-opened Hanks or 64Wine in Glasthule village.” @wiltongallery.ie 

Peter Shaffrey PETER SHAFFREY 

“In September, I start soaking the fruit for the Christmas cake in brandy and Barry’s tea. End of November, I put the tree up and decorate it with my vintage silver decorations. Cards are sent the first week of December, then shopping begins: Dries Van Noten for my husband Kevin’s present, then to Graanmark 13, Rosier 41 and Ganterie Boon [all in Antwerp] a wonderful old glove shop. I am in my element setting my table with crystal, silver, flowers, Irish linen napkins and candles, with Ella on in the background.” @petershaffrey

Joy Thorpe Joy Thorpe Antiques

“Our historic green shopfront in Castlecomer, Kilkenny lends itself well to Christmas styling, and this year I decided to go the crazy disco ball route! Inside, I love creating beautiful Christmassy scenarios from which clients can shop for original and interesting gifts.” www.joythorpeantiques.com 

Sive O’Brien siveob.com

“My favourite season kicks off the minute I pick up a big bushy wreath with vibrant velvet ribbon from The Foliage Florist. Every room gets the eucalyptus treatment by way of huge pots stuffed with the aromatic branches, until the entire house is filled with the fresh scent.” www.siveob.com

Siobhan McKenna Moss + Cable 

“This year I’m making my own ‘shrubs’, nourishing fermented syrups traditionally used as a way to preserve and enjoy ripe fruit. They make the perfect addition to any cocktail and are delicious just mixed with soda water. Christmas morning, I will serve rhubarb and ginger shrub with prosecco and a twist of lemon for a zesty pre-lunch tipple.” @mossandcable

Katie Larmour Katie Larmour Linen

“One aspect of my Irish linen fashion and gift company is to keep the tradition of collecting Christmas decorations alive all year round. Now my Irish linen decorations are sent all over the world as gifts, to remind the recipients of home.” @katielarmourlinen

Ruth Ní Loinsigh Om Diva

“Styling the Christmas window at Om Diva boutique, I always feel the magic of childhood. Our window is based on Grimm’s The Star Taler, a magical tale about kindness. I commissioned designer Sarah Murphy to create a fairytale dress of layered organza which will take centre stage. In association with Temple Street, we are running a raffle for the dress to raise money for much-needed sensory toys for children with autism who come into the A&E department. Buy a ticket for €5!” www.omdivaboutique.com 

Kerry Hiddleston @kerry_hiddleston

“In our house, Christmas starts immediately after Halloween. There is a misconception that my home will be artistically dressed for the season but I have to rein in any perfectionist tendencies as my twins love to put up the decorations – an eye-watering tinselfest. I keep one ‘good room’ that is simply decorated with branches from the garden, candles and glints of gold and silver.” @kerry_hiddleston 

Veronika Faustmann @veronikafaustmann

“A much-loved family tradition is a trip to the Dublin mountains and Glencullen Christmas Tree Farm. The boys love chasing through the trees and we all breathe in the crisp mountain air. When the tree is being cut, the boys shout ‘Timber!’ After a tour of Santa’s Cottage, tree loaded, we make the short hop to Johnnie Fox’s pub and a nice warm fire.” www.veronikafaustmann.com

Sadhbh Fahy Electra

“The weeks before Christmas are all about helping clients with their prep,” says the owner of Electra in Dublin 4. “We help clients put outfits together for every occasion – work drinks, a party, a family dinner or a trip away – finding special pieces they can wear for Christmases to come.” www.electra.ie 

Karen and Natalie Keane Bean and Goose Chocolate

“A table full of festive food and drink are what we both love best about Christmas, our seasonal chocolate sharing slabs taking centre stage, of course. We love the Winter Nights Sharing Slab paired with Red Breast Whiskey. Other favourites at our table? The Bean and Goose deerhounds.” www.beanandgoose.ie

Mundy Walsh ACHARA

“Christmas to me is cinnamon and nutmeg; candles and the crackle of a fire; carols and cards. Sitting down, with pen to paper, makes me feel immediately closer to my partner’s family in Tuscany and dear friends that I miss.” ACHARA Modern Handcrafted Stationery; www.acharastationery.com 

Charlotte Leonard Kane Scéal Bakery

“For as long as I can remember, a date was always set for making and steaming puddings at home. The heady winter aromas of spices filled the kitchen as we baked. The same childhood enthusiasm applies today at Scéal Bakery when the time comes to make our Christmas puddings. The date is marked out in September and we get preparing. We follow a recipe that has been passed down in my family since 1903, and use the best of Irish ingredients.” www.scealbakery.com 

Maoliosa Connell Avoca

“Every year on Christmas Eve, I pack up the car and head to my family home to see my parents and my brother (home from Berlin) and do all my wrapping by the fire. I collect (and recycle!) beautiful gift wrap. I have used old wallpaper samples, tinfoil and brown craft paper, finished with twine or ribbon. This year, Avoca has produced beautiful cards, with proceeds going to St Patricks’ Mental Health Services. The cards fold into decorations, which you can use to decorate the table, mantelpiece or tree.” www.avoca.com

Neill Strain @neillstrain

“I am super-busy at this time of year so I set my own table and decorate the mantelpiece in advance so I can enjoy it over the whole festive period,” says London florist Neill Strain. I use candles at varying heights for an ambient glow and dress napkins with sprigs of holly or ivy.” @neillstrain

Maria Reidy, event designer

“The table is the heart of my Christmas, where meals are shared, stories told and memories made. Green and natural check Irish linen provides the base layer, with traditional colours of red, white and green woven throughout, with Italian linen placemats, cabbageware, tall tapered candles and coloured water glasses to catch the light.” www.signature-editions.ie 

Alex Calder @caldalex

“Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year,” says digital creator Alex. “Late afternoon light, the warmth when you come in from the cold, cosy food. I adore sweet, spiced things and one of the things I love doing is baking Lebkuchen and Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars), inspired by the Austrian part of my family. Another longstanding Austrian tradition in our family which often alarms people is having real candles on the tree. They create a really lovely atmosphere – you just have to keep a close eye on the tree!” @caldalex

Lara Wasson Litt

“After a super-busy leadup to launching my new business Litt, I look forward to spending time with great friends, making one of my signature tequila Paloma cocktails and dancing around the Christmas tree. I pre-make the cocktail in the morning and chill it in the fridge. That way, when friends arrive, it’s straight down to business.” www.litt-store.com 

Henry Roe Huguenot

For Henry Roe of Irish watch company Huguenot, Christmas means “lots of great food and drink and gathering around the Christmas tree for gift giving. Taking time to enjoy choosing gifts in the run-up to Christmas is important!” www.huguenotwatches.com

Harshal Shah Dorian

Harshal Shah this year switches roles from wine merchant to manager of new neighbourhood restaurant Dorian in Donnybrook. “I’ll be ready for a good rest come Christmas Day, and will have plenty of Champagne Delamotte on ice. I’m known as Mr Gravy, so the responsibility for the Christmas gravy always falls to me. I start it early by roasting bones and finish it off with a good glug of champagne! I always set aside time for at least one special red, like aged Bordeaux, Barolo or Burgundy.” www.dorian.ie

Nicky Logue InterContinental Dublin

Nicky Logue, GM at the InterContinental Dublin, loves all the sparkle associated with Christmas. “Our decorations this year include 20 Christmas trees and a huge gingerbread house in the lobby.” @intercondublin

Jake McCarthy The Roundwood Stores

For Jake McCarthy of The Roundwood Stores in Wicklow, there’s no rest for busy bakers, even at Christmas. “We bake every day! While people associate sweetened breads like Panettone with the festive season, my thing is a strong sourdough. It’s brilliant with smoked salmon and for turkey sandwiches.” @roundwoodstores

Mark Joyce Joyce Craft’s

Mark Joyce of Joyce’s Crafts, Recess, Co Galway, is creating a playlist. “It becomes the soundtrack of the holiday and must include a bit of cheese like Paul McCartney or Bing Crosby and “The Fairytale of New York.” This Christmas of course will be special as we will be allowed to have a much more social time than last year!” www.joycescraftshop.com