Festive season comes early

Christmas has come early at a Limerick hotel where nearly 50% of the venue’s Christmas parties are already booked.

Despite less than four months left to go to Christmas Day, the Strand Hotel has already erected its Christmas Tree complete with decorations and lights.

“We’ve sold 45% of our Christmas office parties already. The level of demand is unbelievable. I can’t believe it,” said Strand manager Sean Lally.

“From the end of August the phones started ringing with bookings, and now the Christmas tree has given it another turbo boost. We did get some negative backlash from the public, so we are going to take it down at some stage and then put it back up again in December.”

Mr Lally put the party bookings rush down to people who are not spending as much on day-to-day socialising because of the economic downturn.

“It’s unusual for this time of year but I think people have had enough doom and gloom. People don’t go out as often as they used to and they want to save up for big celebrations, like the Christmas party,” he added.

“We’ve also seen a big increase in Christmas weddings.”

Mr Lally said: “Christmas is huge now because people are using the festive occasion for one big celebration, whether that’s a family reunion over Christmas or a festive wedding.”

The Gathering had also helped increase bed night bookings in the Strand.

“Our figures are up 15% year-on-year. The Gathering has certainly helped,” he said.

The Brown Thomas store on O’Connell St has also gone snow blind with Christmas cheer.

It has erected a Christmas tree in a special Christmas shrine and is selling tree stock which it expects will sell out early.

Meanwhile, TV3 Come Dine With Me personality Nadia Sakni and her partner Gary Connor, believe they are the first couple in Limerick to have purchased their Christmas tree.

Christmas junkie Nadia, who was born in snowy Denmark, said she couldn’t wait to decorate her tree.

“It’s myself and Gary’s first house together, so I wanted to make this Christmas special. The store had to order it for us as they didn’t yet have any in stock. I also have a substantial bottom drawer load of decorations ready too,” she said.

“I’m going all out for Christmas this year. I’m big into the Danish traditions too, so I’ll be making traditional Danish Christmas rice puddings with cinnamon, and pancake pastry balls dipped in jam, icing sugar and chocolate. Oh, and I can’t forget the mulled wine,” Nadia added.

As for Gary, who works as production manager at local radio station Limerick’s Live 95FM, where Nadia is a presenter and PR girl, he’s happy that Nadia is happy. “We’ve got the tree. It’s still in the box. I don’t think we’re allowed open it until Dec 8.

“I’d say we’re probably the first to buy one in Limerick,” he said.