By IMAGE
21st Dec 2015
21st Dec 2015
The final, pre-Christmas build up is now upon us and we’re reaching peak excitement levels! As part of our collaboration with the lovely folk at Arnotts, where you can shop for every single loved one under one roof, over the 12 days in the lead up to Christmas we’ll be catching up with some of Ireland’s most familiar names, finding out what Christmas means for them and what they’ll be wishing for. Today, it’s Irish fashion and jewellery designer Emma Manley’s turn to take the spotlight.
What is your earliest memory of Christmas?
Getting dressed in my new Christmas outfit when I was five. Beautiful thick woolly patterned tights and a gorgeous velvet dress with a bow. These are the kind of details a designer remembers!
Describe your perfect Christmas?
At home in Mum’s with all the Manleys. It’s all about good food, plenty of red wine and loads of laughs. For the evening we kick back, roast marshmallows on the fire, sip mulled wine and play board games in our pjs.
What do you like most about Christmas – the build up or the week itself?
I do love the build up to Christmas. The parties, get-togethers, shopping for presents, the excessive mulled wine drinking; it’s all just so much fun. I love Dublin city in December most. Everyone is in great spirits, the lights, the carol singers, it’s just divine!
What are the essentials in the Manley household when it come to Christmas day dinner?
Chestnut soup, brussel sprouts cooked in fresh Orange juice and sprinkled with toasted almonds, potato stuffing and a bloody good cheese board. Mum is a mean cook so we’re looked after very well.
What does Christmas mean for you?
It’s about time with your nearest and dearest, real time. I love hanging out in Mums with all the family for a few days. Morning walks in the Phoenix park, movie watching in the evening and plenty of eating turkey curries, turkey omelettes turkey pies and turkey casseroles! After Manley time, I head off to my better half’s family home in C?il Aodha, Cork. Five days spent mountain walking and sipping hot toddies in the highest bar in Ireland, what more could you ask for!
What presents are you hoping to buy this year for your nearest and dearest?
I’ll be treating my two nieces to Mary Poppins in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. I’m most excited about this! All my other pressie are top secret but there is some tech stuff in there and plenty of Manley for the ladies in my life, obviously!
What’s on your own wishlist?
I love getting surprises, things that I would never treat myself to.
Browse Emma’s wish list in the gallery above and shop the products here:
Strolling Towards The Bridge Canvas
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