Ireland

Working on a window wonderland: Creating ‘beyond ordinary’ shopfront displays for Christmas

Presentation plays a key role in producing the feel-good atmosphere on streets that draws customers inside

The family-run Terenure Office Supplies with its Christmas themed window display. Photograph: Alan Betson

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Colin Gleeson
Fri Dec 15 2023 - 10:00

When Terenure Office Supplies in Dublin unveiled its Christmas window, there was a queue that stretched down the street. Some waited as long as two hours to see the display.

The shop, which sells crafts for children and Christmas presents as well as office supplies, had Santa Claus on hand for the unveiling and goodie bags for about 200 children who came to see the window.

Aisling Bedford, the store’s manager, says the display was started by her father 20 years ago who was so taken with the pizazz of Christmas in the United States during a visit that he was determined to recreate it at home on his return.

“He built it up over the years, it was his big joy,” says Bedford. “He started doing a big unveiling and then it just took off. He passed away five years ago so we have continued it on for him.”

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The display runs the length of the window and is of intricate design with figurines, houses, a Santa’s Lodge, a reindeer spa, a toy factory, a candy cane corner, ice skating rinks complete with skaters, and a train that moves. All of it is lit up against a snowy backdrop.

“It’s all stuff that moves and is lit up,” says Bedford. “We have a model winery and a hair salon in it, and we put have put the names of the local winery and salon on them. There are bears hiding in caves as well, so the kids love to explore it.”

Aisling Bedford of Terenure Office Supplies. Photograph: Alan Betson

Bedford orders new parts for the display every year that are shipped from the US. The 50 houses cost a couple of hundred dollars apiece, while the figurines cost about $60 (€55).

She says the costs involved are worth it as the display is a big part of the community and helps to attract customers. Local creches and primary schools bring children to see the window and sing Christmas carols.

“We used to only put it on in the afternoons when the kids were coming home from school, but now it’s on from eight in the morning to 10 at night,” she says. “It’s aimed at kids but everyone loves it.”

The display is built in Bedford’s mother’s house “because she has got the only room big enough”, she says. It takes about three or four weekends in November to build and about eight hours to install.

Christmas windows play a key role in creating a feel-good atmosphere in and around shopping areas that draws customers into shops and encourages them to spend money. Huge numbers of businesses rely on this period every year.

One of the most famous Irish Christmas windows is in Brown Thomas and its stores in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway. This year’s window is themed “Be on the Great List” and is designed to embrace “luxury, magic and desirability”.

Brown Thomas creative and marketing director Ciara Crilly says the display features “colossal baubles, a majestic tree adorned with shimmering ornaments, and towering gift boxes, all meticulously hand-placed to create a maximalist effect”.

The windows are a tradition that brings families back year after year, she says.

“Often they share stories with us, of childhood visits, then taking their own kids, and even grandkids,” she says.

“We take our Christmas windows very seriously. The planning begins in January and extends throughout the 12 months to create the extraordinary displays that change every year.”

Brown Thomas aims to “go beyond the ordinary” and the festive cheer is heightened by the familiar tunes sung by the retailer’s “singing doorman” on Grafton Street, says Crilly.

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Paul Sheeran Jewellers, which has three stores in Dublin, opts for a more minimalist approach. Many of its window designs are catered towards brands such as Cartier and Tag Heuer on display.

“Every window has a touch,” says Sheeran. “They are not overly done. Tastefully decorated, is what I would call it.”

Sheeran insists the windows are designed to accentuate the spirit of Christmas rather than drive people into the stores.

“It’s the busiest time of the year for us, and thankfully we are having a good Christmas,” he says.

“If you don’t make an effort, you look like Scrooge. The decorations make a difference because they make people happy. Do they make people spend? They probably do, but come on, it’s Christmas. It’s a bit of a blowout. We’ll pay for it in January.”

Peter Power runs Power & Smullen in Lucan, west Dublin, which he describes as one of the smallest wine shops in the country. He, like Sheeran, favours the minimalist approach.

“We have pine tree branches, some stars and lights, as well as a Christmas tree that is made out of cases of wine with baubles and decorations around it with shiny red and gold colours,” he says.

“The Christmas tree gets taken down every day because people buy the wine when we run out in the shop, and then we rebuild it again. We are flat out at this time of the year.”

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