'We sell seven tons of spiced beef at Christmas': Meet the people on the festive frontlines

From panto dames to Christmas tree growers, butchers and toy shop owners, meet the people on the festive frontlines with Gemma Fullam

Craft butcher Tom Durcan with his famous award winning Spice Beef at his stall in the English Market, Cork. - Picture: David Creedon

Colm Crowley, Christmas tree seller

The phrase ‘send it to the woodchipper’, which originated with 1996 cult classic Fargo, has become shorthand for something being unceremoniously discarded. Come January, it is the fate of many a Christmas tree, but it doesn’t have to be.