IMAGE staffers on the essentials that make their Christmas

Christmas is as much to do with the tree and the turkey as it is to do with the endless to-do list of Christmas and managing to get the tree up without a divorce. There are so many things that make Christmas special, whether it’s a particular place you go to get your cheese, the trip to Penneys to get your festive jammies, or an especially good place for a mulled wine.

These are the treats that make Christmas for the IMAGE staffers.

Cloon Keen Noble Fir Candle, €45

It’s not Christmas until I’ve lit the Cloon Keen Noble Fir candle. I start looking forward to lighting it around September. I spend more time thinking about the first night I’ll light it (as soon as the tree is up) than I spend trying to figure out what winter coat I’m going to buy this year. Go in if you can so can take a whiff and tell me it’s not the most delicious thing you’ve ever sniffed. It smells like a woodland forest, but a really expensive one – if a woodland forest was in the middle of a five-star hotel lobby. It smells like I’m the queen, spending Christmas at Sandringham. It’s become as essential to my Christmas as the turkey or the tin of Roses. – Holly O’Neill, Beauty Editor and Digital Editor, IMAGE.ie.

Craft Cocktails festive flavours, €12.50/€35

I recently purchased a gorgeous little bar cart from Penneys, so I’ve been into making festive cocktails this season. My cart is currently stocked with Coole Swan (I prefer it to Baileys), Powers for hot whiskeys, bubbles for toasts and, of course, mixers galore. I’ve recently had my eye on these festive flavours from Craft Cocktails – Gingerbread Punch, Festive Old-Fashioned and Misteltoe Margarita. They are handy for hosts who want to create effort-free drinks for guests that will definitely impress. – Shayna Sappington, Branded Content & Staff Writer.

H&M Pyjama Shirt & Bottoms, €29.99

Christmas Day is all about relaxation for me. The build-up to December 25 is usually characterised by chaos – I tend to stretch myself too thin when it comes to socialising and try to fit as many plans into as few days as possible, but this means that by the time the big day rolls around, I’m completely burnt out and exhausted. Thankfully, my family knows better than to expect me to get glam for the occasion and my Christmas outfit is always a pair of festive pyjamas. Is it even Jesus’ birthday if I haven’t declared I won’t be wearing “real clothes” for the day? – Sarah Finnan, Deputy Digital Editor, IMAGE.ie.

Jamie Lewis Felt Robin, €18

I received one of these felt robins as a gift from former IMAGE Interiors editor Amanda Kavanagh, and it’s been my favourite Christmas decoration ever since. He’s been placed on mantelpieces and shelves, and even nestled into a garland, but no matter where he sits he looks so sweet and cheerful. Thanks to him, I’ve also started something of a festive felt menagerie, with a penguin and a Santa-hat wearing dog joining the ranks. – Megan Burns, Editor, IMAGE Interiors, Deputy Editor, IMAGE.

Yankee Candle Christmas Eve candle, €22.99

In our house, we love this Christmas Eve Yankee Candle! Also, every window in our home is covered in white Christmas stickers — especially snowflakes. Our son love them and we have to have them every year on every window. They go up before the tree! They look gorgeous. We also love the gorgeous hot chocolates in Insomnia. — Jolene Reid, Business Development Manager, IMAGE Media.

Love and Freindship: And Other Youthful Writings by Jane Austen, €20.99

Once we land in the front door of our home house for Christmas, leaving the comfort of the couch becomes an incredibly tall order. While we’ve pretty much planned out every movie and television show for the festive period, afternoons will be spent curled up in front of the fire with our noses buried deep in a book. I’ve never read any Jane Austen before, so I think now’s the time to get acquainted. — Sarah Gill, Staff Writer, IMAGE.ie.

Photography by Pexels. We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site. This article was originally published in December 2022.