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Christmas decorating starts early for some, including Instagram content creator Caoimhe McGinley whose account, @thebighillhouse, is a source of interior design inspiration for her 142k followers.
Once her Halloween decorations come down on November 1, she launches straight into preparation for Christmas, something prompted by her time living in Abu Dhabi. “You started early to get a month before coming home for Christmas,” she says, but since the family moved into their self-build home on her family farm next door to her parents in Co Tyrone in 2021, decorating is underway in early November.
“I do a deep clean and start decorating with the main tree in the hall,” she says. “Over two and a half weeks I’ll get all the decorating done with a tree in almost every room. I want the atmosphere to be magical.”
The effect is certainly magical and it’s also stylish, but it begs the question, how does it all survive until January with her young family of Dáithí, age 10, Tomás, age 8, Cobhládh, age 5, and Páidí, age 2?
“It’s child-centred,” she says. “They’re involved in putting up all the trees. They even have trees in their bedrooms. It’s chaos here most days. I’ve learned to embrace the mess and they’re happy in their space.”
Christmas is such a special time for her and the family that when she was planning what is a substantial Georgian-style property, she had it in mind.
“In my open-plan kitchen, dining, living space, I made a corner window especially to have a tree in it,” she says, and she’s created individual decorating themes for the other trees around the house.
“It’s a traditional tree in the hall with red and gold and more traditional baubles the children have picked over the years,” she says. “The boys have a travel-themed room so all their tree decorations are landmarks like the pyramids and they have Christmas bedding. Páidí has just moved into his own room so his is on the ‘to do’. Cobhládh’s tree is girly pink and she also has a book nook where I switch out her books for Christmas books.”
In fact, books are a particular feature for Caoimhe and it’s one which might appeal to parents trying to keep sugar consumption down in advance of the season of over-indulgence. “I wrap up 24 books for the children instead of having Advent calendars and we read one each night,” she says. “I want to create experiences they can pass on to their children.”
She does stress, however, that the extent of her decorating didn’t happen overnight but has evolved year by year, starting with the purchase of her first tree in Monaghan one Christmas Eve, and last year introducing a real tree for the first time. “I put it in the master bedroom and it transformed it with the smell of pine, lights and gold ribbons.”
At the foot of her stairs, her main tree forms a Christmas vignette with a twinkling garland following the bannister of her sweeping staircase.
In her kitchen, dining and living open-plan area, she’s chosen navy and gold tree decorations to match her navy sofas and décor. “Last year was the first time we had our fireplace to hang the stockings,” she says.
“Before that, we used a rustic ladder and I hung them on that. Decorations can be expensive. Wait for the sales. Friends gave me a Brown Thomas gift voucher when we moved in and I used it to buy decorations.”
Last year was also her first time hosting Christmas dinner in the house for her extended family and the chance to indulge in Christmas tablescaping. “I tend to stay away from quite luxurious,” she says.
“It was quite traditional with green napkins, gold cutlery and gold reindeer, and glittery trees in the centre. Everyone had a job to do and bring a dish so we’ll probably do something similar this year, but I actually prefer Christmas Eve, doing crafts and baking and having wine and cheese.”
For all her extensive efforts at Christmas styling, her work is not done yet, it seems. “I have three bathrooms that aren’t finished yet. When the downstairs bath is done I’ll decorate it. I also have an ambition to make the playroom like Santa’s workshop but it will take years, probably for the grandchildren.”