Making sure your Christmas is a real cracker

The wealthy, time-poor and bone idle now have a way around the Christmas stress - they can just pay someone else to do the whole thing for them, reports Kate Holmquist

It's the ultimate fantasy for anyone who loves Christmas but hates the hassle. Hire an expert to trawl the shops, wrap the presents, fill the fridge and even decorate the Christmas tree.

"We organise everything so that a client comes home from a business trip to find the tree decorated and all the presents under it," says Louise O'Riordan, of Quintessentially, one of a new generation of concierge services.

Time is money, but time is also relationships. Busy people who prefer to invest time in family and friends, rather than shopping, are willing to pay for someone else to do the drudgery. At the very least, not having to brave the Christmas Eve crowds for the food shopping is a major timesaver.

"We give you all the ingredients for a five-course meal with prime rib of beef, or goose with potato and sausage stuffing, or traditional turkey and ham with all the trimmings. And there is plenty left for St Stephen's Day," says Neill McFadden, of Christmas Made Easy.

On December 23rd, you can either collect your cold boxes of food, or have them delivered, saving you hours of time in food shopping and preparation. McFadden provides all the fresh food for the meal ready to cook: peeled potatoes and vegetables, meat prepared for the oven, soup and sauces needing only a quick warming-up. The results are delicious enough that you won't believe you cooked it yourself.

If you're cash-rich and time-poor, with no window in your diary for Christmas preparations, there's no need to tear your hair out if you can afford the luxury of having someone else do the hard slog.

One of the newest providers in this market is Home Concierge, run by Ariane Ducas, (Bono's house manager in Killiney, Co Dublin, for 10 years), and Aoife Rafferty, whose background is in hotel management.

"We're very particular about our service and so we do all the work ourselves," says Rafferty, who set up in business with Ducas in July.

THE FIRST STEP in most households they visit is to de-clutter and reorganise to make room for all those minimalist floral arrangements, artfully placed candles and tasteful Christmas ornaments (it's nice to know that even the wealthy are plagued by piles of magazines, stray socks and gloves, children's drawings, books and CDs).

Home Concierge also organises to have broken doorknobs, leaky plumbing and other bits and pieces fixed by a handyman, while the concierges personally clean the house at the same time. They'll also go to the supermarket and do the big Christmas food shop, fill the fridge and restock the cupboards. Then they'll dress the mantelpiece, arrange the candles and even put up the tree.

Some people love buying presents, but for those who boggle at the prospect, a concierge service will ask about the ages and tastes of the people to be bought for, then they'll hit the mall. All you need to do is sign the card that they provide with each gift. They'll even deliver the presents, if required.

And if you decide that your clean and newly Christmassy house deserves a party, a concierge service will organise that too - table settings, food, chef, waiting staff and the clean up.

"Nannies don't do cleaning, cleaners don't do your grocery shopping - we do everything," says Rafferty. "At the moment, I'm helping out a woman who runs her own business from home, so I'm spending some time working on her computer database and some time helping her organise her son's birthday party.

"Sometimes, helping out a new mother is literally about holding the baby so that she can have a shower."

Tara Dalrymple, founder of Busy Lizzie in Galway, says: "We do everything to do with Christmas at this time of year, from sourcing food to hanging the wreath on the front door. People are realising that if they're overwhelmed by work and family responsibilities, it's not bad to ask for help. There's a realisation that concierge services save you so much time and let you avoid last-minute panicking.

"Competition from other tasks and a tendency toward procrastination are the top reasons the Irish don't accomplish the things they need to get done. Many people blamed this time-deprivation stress on the demands of doing things for family members as well as other people. During the Christmas season, this time crunch becomes even more prevalent, as demands from work and family increase and add stress to an already stressed life."

MANY CLIENTS ARE not quite sure what they actually need.

"If we go to a home and see it needs a sort-out before we can do anything else, then we'll do that. To plan and provide a whole Christmas takes about 10 hours, more or less, depending on the client," says Dalrymple.

To make the most of your concierge, plan wisely and be clear about delegating, so that every hour of help that you're paying for is maximised. Busy Lizzie charges €35 per hour plus Vat and mileage. Home Concierge charges €125 plus Vat for four hours of grocery shopping and cleaning. They'll do your Christmas present shopping and wrapping for €200 for four hours plus Vat.

To have Quintessentially arrange your Christmas, you must first buy an annual membership of €3,750 (plus a once-off €250 joining fee). For this, you get a dedicated account manager, similar to a PA, who will organise your household and social arrangements throughout the year - even waiting in your home for repair people and decorators to arrive - and can get you tickets to exclusive film premieres. The organisation's personal shopping service will ensure that you have the appropriate presents to distribute when you play Santa. But, as with most concierge services, when it organises a cleaner or other service provider, you pay extra by the hour in addition to the fee.

Christmas Made Easy's prices range from €98 for two people, up to €380 for eight to 10.

Concierge services also make decent gifts for new parents, elderly parents, the disabled and anyone else on your list who could use a bit of help at home.

www.busylizzie.ie (091-865353); www.christmasmadeeasy.ie; www.quintessentially.com; www.homeconcierge.ie (01-4847181)