Some wish it could be Christmas every day – for one Stirling woman, it is.
Lyndsey McDermott, who runs Tinsel and Tartan in the city centre, has been selling Christmas decorations and spreading festive cheer to locals and tourists alike all year round since 2019.
From Stirling-themed baubles to fluffy festive friends for your tree, the shop is brimming with thousands of Christmas decorations.
In that time, her Christmas shop survived the pandemic, moved from the Stirling Arcade to Spittal Street, and gained a celebrity customer – Lyndsey delivered two life-sized nutcrackers to musician Gary Numan’s Stirlingshire home.
But how does the city’s very own Ms Christmas spend the big day?
Despite celebrating all year round, it takes until December 24 for her to feel festive.
“The excitement that everyone else has been feeling building up for weeks and weeks, it doesn’t hit me until then – when I lock the door and walk away,” she says.
Christmas is a ‘lazy day’ for Tinsel & Tartan owner
Lyndsey, who used to work in finance, uses Christmas Day to unwind after a long year.
“I love a really lazy Christmas,” she admits.
“I like Christmas in my own house. I don’t really relish the idea of getting up, getting dressed, going round visiting.”
When her son, who is now 25, was young, they enjoyed a turkey dinner together on Christmas Eve, before he spent Christmas Day with his father.
“It was really great because we got the big, extravagant Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and then, on Christmas Day, it was just snacks, sweets, picky bits, dips, crisps, chilling out, Christmas movies on the telly,” she explains.
But the first order of Christmas Day in the McDermott household is always presents.
Piling into Lyndsey’s room early in the morning, the family open their stockings in her bed.
Her dog, Clootie Dumpling, also gets a stocking and a new outfit for the occasion.
What does Lyndsey have for Christmas dinner?
Next? A fancy breakfast of pancakes and bacon.
Chocolate and a glass of fizz are also essential components of her Christmas morning.
“You fill yourself up with junk and chocolate all day,” she smiles.
“It’s great. Absolutely love it.”
When it comes to Christmas dinner, which is turkey with all the trimmings, there’s nothing controversial on Lyndsey’s plate (other than Brussels sprouts, depending on how you feel about them).
“Pigs in blankets, roast tatties – I love all of it,” the 49-year-old says.
For a starter, Lyndsey prepares a Havana prawn cocktail, following her stepdad’s recipe.
“He’s passed away now, but every year since he’s passed, I’ve made that as the Christmas Day starter. It’s really, really nice,” she says.
Her mother, who is travelling from the Hebrides for the holidays, provides clootie dumpling for pudding. This tradition is how Lyndsey’s dog was named.
The rest of the day is spent relaxing with new pyjamas on and Christmas films on the TV.
Elf, starring Will Ferrell, is Lyndsey’s favourite festive movie, while Holiday Bells and Must Be Santa are her top songs of the season.
How does a Christmas shop owner find time to get ready for Christmas?
Tinsel and Tartan is a seven-day-a-week operation, leaving its owner little time to get organised for Christmas.
Before she had the shop, Lyndsey would ensure all her presents were bought and wrapped far in advance.
Now, things are markedly different.
“Despite the fact that it’s Christmas all year, every day, it still sneaks up on me,” she admits.
“I end up scrabbling about panicking at the last minute for my own personal Christmas because I’m too busy with the shop.”
“I could go around and start wrapping up everything from in here, but I think that’s stingy,” she jokes, gesturing to the decorations on the Tinsel and Tartan shelves.
The one thing Lyndsey says she’d never leave until the last minute, however, is decorating the Christmas tree.
Her home has hundreds of decorations, all gifted to her by friends and family over the past 30 years.
“It brings back so many memories,” she says.
“All the baubles have got their own story – where you’ve been, where you got it from, or who gave it to you.
“It makes dressing the tree a talking point, rather than a chore.”
This year, once Christmas is all wrapped up, Tinsel and Tartan will close during January while Lyndsey spends Hogmanay in Las Vegas and enjoys some well-earned rest.
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