To the rescue

LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS:Meet the people who believe in the spirit of Christmas and would go to the ends of the Earth - well, probably Ireland - to make Christmas happen for you, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

The Christmas countdown is in full swing and if you still have everything to do then relax, exhale and read on. Don’t fret if your house is filthy with cobwebs that would make Miss Havisham blush. Help is at hand. If there isn’t a carrot stick in the fridge, let alone a turkey, and all the trimmings and the booze cupboard is doing Old Mother Hubbard impressions, breathe easy, it is all going to be okay. Meet the people who believe in the spirit of Christmas and will go to the ends of Ireland, to make Christmas happen.

Last-minute vouchers

Last-minute shoppers take heart. Gifts Direct has instant vouchers that you can access even on Christmas morning if you get that sinking feeling that you’ve forgotten a someone or find yourself landed with extra guests you hadn’t planned for present-wise. Choose from 100 types of experiences including flying lessons, surfing sessions in Bundoran and spa vouchers. “We will email you the voucher, explains Lulu O’Sullivan, chief executive of Gifts Direct. “All you have to do is print it off and put it in an envelope.”

Most of the other gifts have to be ordered by December 22nd to make delivery on Christmas Eve. The company does a strong line in tastes of home hampers that families send to loved ones who have emigrated and who won't be back for Christmas. Six packs of Tayto crisps, Barry's tea and Cadbury chocolate are some of the most popular items. Hampers must be ordered by December 22nd. Giftsdirect.com. Tel: 01-8611 580

Once a year

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a festive fire and a clean sweep for Santa to make his grand entrance.

“Santa’s going to get extremely dirty this year,” laments Patrick Cowan, president of the Chimney Sweeps Association of Ireland (CSAI), “because people are putting off cleaning the chimney”.

This thinking is skewed, he says. “People are long-fingering cleaning their chimney in favour of spending the money on decorations and other more visible outlays. Your chimney should be cleaned once a year, he counsels.

"A standard-sized chimney costs €60 from a certified member of the CSAI. Patrick and his team will be working up until 6pm on Christmas Eve and can service chimneys from Wicklow town to Dublin city centre using rotating brushes to help give a more thorough clean. This festive season some of his most critical inspectors will be his two grandchildren, Hayden (5) and Emily (3), who insist that Santa's present portal is pristine. Tel 087-2574267 Chimneysolutions.ie.

Christmas tree

Need a Christmas tree nifty? Brian McDermott and Dan O’Connor of Trees on Wheels will come to your (Dublin) house with a selection of trees to choose from up until the end of day on December 22nd.

Prices start at €60 and include delivery, collection and a donation of €5 from each purchase to the Lara Lynn Foundation. If you’re still treeless on the 23rd you can go to their depot on the canal, opposite the Barge Pub, and pick one up.

For those without trees on the 24th they recommend Ritchie O'Connell, who operates out of the front of the Rathfarnham Shopping Centre (in front of Tesco). He will deliver to anywhere on Dublin's southside up to six o'clock on Christmas Eve and will also consider journeying to the northside. "It may not be specifically what you want," Ritchie says, "but we won't see people stuck." Trees On Wheels will also collect your tree from you, whether or not you ordered it from them. This service costs €10 and is available from December 26th onwards. treesonwheels.ietel: 01-497 9337

Send for mistletoe

Want to get kissed this Christmas? Then send for mistletoe. It’s a difficult plant to get because it is not commercially grown, explains Niall Quinn, sales manager at Total Produce (formerly Fyffes) who imports a few pallets of the foliage to sell at the fruit and vegetable markets.

Romantics who would like to send their loved one a kiss-me-quick signal can contact Mr Mistletoe, aka Conor McCarthy, owner of Richmond Road-based online florists Precious Petals.ie. He can deliver the plant within the Dublin area.

Orders must be made by 1pm on December 23rd to ensure a Christmas Eve delivery. A sprig costs €9.95. Same day or next day delivery costs an additional €7.95.

Preciouspetals.ieTel: 1890-987 880 / 01-851 2262 P

Clean your home

Deck the halls? If you haven’t had time to dust the halls (never mind decorate) then let Paul Doherty and his Trim-based Cleaning Services Ireland swat team come and clean your home so you can welcome guests without having to distract them from the cobwebs and dust balls.

His after-party cleaning crew can also deal with the aftermath of your festive get-together and can be at your home as early as 7am. This also helps clear out any remaining stragglers.

Hi company can (if you happen to have a can of the paint handy) brush over alcohol stains and they will also remove any remaining bottles and cans.

Cleaning Services Ireland cover counties Dublin, Meath, WestMeath, Kildare and Wicklow. Bookings can be made from 7am to 7pm daily and up until 12 midday on December 24th. Prices start from €240. cleaning-services.ietel: 046-943 8488 086-024 1414 .

Spoiled for choice

In Dublin you’d think you’d be spoiled for choice for off-the-shelf Christmas dinner options. But by December 22nd the order books of all the food halls are all bah humbuggingly closed. You can hope for the best or you could call Claire Nash of Cork’s restaurant, café and shop, Nash 19, who “would go to the ends of the earth to get Christmas on the table”.

Her shop sells everything from cooked hams and spiced beef to a selection of wine as well as signature side dishes such as cranberry compote, real butter and fresh herb stuffing and her old family recipe for Christmas pudding.

If you can’t get to her she will get to you. She has a deal with her butcher, Tom Durcan Meats, to supply turkeys for any panic-stricken last-minuters and can put in distress calls to suppliers across the country to get your dinner to you wherever you are in the country. This service costs from €160 for four delivered anywhere in the country and includes ham, spiced beef, turkey, smoked salmon and all the trimmings.

Tel 021-4270880/086- 8347294 nash19.com

Emotional pressure

Christmas can be an emotional pressure cooker; exes trying to be civil to each other for the sake of the children, singletons expected to carry the burden of elderly parents because they don’t have families of their own, addict children, siblings or parents to tiptoe around. How do you deal with it? Call the Samaritans.

"There is huge expectation," says Suzanne Costello, chief executive of Samaritans Ireland. "Sometimes the day just doesn't live up to it. We are here 24 hours a day." Tel: 1850-60 90 90 Samaritans.org