Angela Scanlon opens up about Christmas at home

The quirky, cool fashion girl has blossomed into a serious media player. MARIE KELLY meets a very grown-up Angela Scanlon to talk about her plans this Christmas. 

Where will you spend Christmas, and with whom?
I’ll divide my time between home in Co Meath with my parents and sisters, and Co Cork with Roy and his family. I’ll be wearing pyjamas, drinking mulled wine and watching terrible telly in between snoozing. It’s my favourite time of the year, a time when drinking in the morning is not just acceptable, but encouraged.

What will you be gifting?
I love to buy gifts that are sentimental and personal, although the practical humans in my life are a little resistant at times. I have, in the past, bought a letter opener as a romantic gift and framed a poem that I wrote. In hindsight, perhaps I should have bought a book and socks like everyone else!

What are you hoping to find in your Christmas stocking?
I, like every other grandma, enjoy cashmere socks! I think the most perfect gifts are those that feel very indulgent – the things you couldn’t justify buying for yourself. And jewellery is always welcome – anything gold! I’m obsessed with Beatriz Palacios jewellery – it’s so beautiful.

How will you dress for the occasion?
I’ll throw on a great coat (anything by Miu Miu) and pair of boots over my pyjamas and head to mass before ditching the coat, sticking on my brand new cashmere socks, and starting on the stuffing and all the trimmings.

What’s your favourite festive tipple?
I love mulled wine. We make mammoth batches at home and sip responsibly all day. But my drink is always whiskey. There’s something about it that feels innately Christmassy, so once lunch is over, I’ll have a whiskey with anything.

Traditional turkey or an exotic alternative?
We toyed with the idea of a Chinese Christmas dinner one year, but in the end agreed that without Brussels sprouts and potato stuffing (a 100-year-old recipe), what’s the point? You may as well get a drive-through at McDonald’s en route from mass. Traditions make us feel grounded in something bigger than ourselves, connected to people in a way that’s very special.

Photographs by Naomi Gaffey.

This article was originally published in the December 2015 issue of IMAGE magazine.