I’ve got 2k fairy lights, a Santa Stop Here sign & spend hundreds on my kid – here’s why I love a ‘tacky’ Christmas

YESTERDAY etiquette expert William Hanson caused controversy when he claimed all our favourite Christmas traditions were ‘tacky’.

From Santa Claus to Winter Wonderland and gonks, William went to town.

Katie LeeKatie Lee, 30, has 2,000 fairy lights up at Christmas time, turning it into a winter wonderland[/caption]

SuppliedKatie goes all out on the decorations, including nutcrackers and gonks[/caption]

Katie LeeKatie, a decorator and her son Bobby, 8, are big fans of a ‘tacky’ Christmas[/caption]

But one mum who disagrees is Katie Lee, 30, a decorator from Hartlepool, County Durham.

She lives with her husband, fellow decorator Michael, 37, and son Bobby, eight. 

Now, she hits back at William’s claims her Christmas is common…

Flicking the switch on the plug, the multicoloured fairy lights suddenly dazzled my living room – all 2,000 of them.

In the red, blue, pink and orange glow, gonks grinned and Father Christmas figurines stood regally. 

Meanwhile, Wham cheerfully blared out the stereo – Last Christmas had been playing for several weeks now, flanked happily by Slade’s Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday and Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas.

Under the tree – which I carefully photographed for yet another Facebook post – were piles (and I mean piles) of presents for my son, Bobby, eight. 

My husband Michael, 37, and I spend hundreds on him but despite this, he isn’t spoiled – anything he doesn’t like he’ll give to children who have fewer presents. 

Last year he was hugely grateful for his 43-inch flatscreen television, Xbox Series X, Turtle Beach Gaming Headset, Soundbar and computer games worth a few hundred quid.

Christmas for me starts in mid-November when, as a family, we decorate the tree.

We make a day of it, sipping hot chocolate and eating reindeer-shaped biscuits while we untangle our huge number of lights.

We’ve built up the decorations over the years so now just spend £80 on a freshly-cut Christmas tree every November. 

Even last year, when lockdown meant we couldn’t see friends and family and it was just the three of us, we went all out. 

GettyWhilst William hates Father Christmas being called Santa, Katie hangs her Santa stop here sign with pride[/caption]

On the lawn, I proudly displayed my Santa Stop Here sign and tied my door in a ribbon bow – careful to use a stretchy material so my postman could easily access the letterbox.

My numerous Santa Claus statues were placed atop every available surface and on the big day itself, I covered the door to the living room in wrapping paper so Bobby could jump through it before unwrapping his haul. 

I unashamedly celebrate Christmas in the most lavish way possible with plenty of food, shopping, gifts and treats. And I don’t think it’s tacky. 

In fact, I would go as far as to say so-called ‘etiquette expert’ William Hanson, who claims decorating your house like this is dead common, is a full-blown Grinch (although even the Grinch learnt to love Christmas in the end).

Charles Dickens would have a field day with him because he sounds like a latter-day Ebenezer Scrooge spreading misery with his yawn-some ‘rules’ on what’s hot and what’s not.

Especially after a dismal 2020 when the UK was plunged into a seemingly never-ending 2020 and a worse 2021 – I was rushed to hospital for emergency brain surgery in September after headaches and tunnel vision turned out to be pressure on my brain – we need a bit of sparkle at Christmas.  

So, I pity William’s friends and family – the thought of going round his tinsel-free home on December 25 sounds rubbish.

He says Christmas dinner should be meat, gravy with the consistency of dishwasher water and veg – his only concession to it being a special day is one extra veggie. 

Balderdash! I say the opposite. Pile. It. On. 

My Christmas dinner has meat, meat and more meat. And don’t forget all the veggies – carrots, cabbages, sprouts and parsnips – plus thick, goopy gravy and mounds of potatoes. 

If that’s tacky then call me tacky – my grandparents, Sally and Norman, both 70, and mum Dawn, 48, who I eat with love it too.

I heard William was moaning about people shopping too.

‘It’s not only common but a bit tragic to shop on Christmas Eve,’ he said. 

Yawn. Shopping is one of my favourite parts of the festive season and is actually something I schedule every Christmas Eve. 

Michael and I will drop Bobby at my mum’s and then head into town. We’ll get a fancy festive coffee at somewhere nice like Costa or Starbucks then people watch (I especially love seeing the men panic buy) before we pick up a few final treats – usually a couple of daft items. 

GettyKatie and her family love the magic of Winter Wonderlands, but William says they are tacky[/caption]

Later in the day, we’ll head to a local Winter Wonderland where we’ll sip hot chocolate and wander around the stalls. It’s a lovely family occasion and people are all happy and smiling, full of goodwill. There’s a palpable buzz of excitement in the air, with kids eager for the next day.

However, William thinks Winter Wonderlands are tacky – seemingly unable to see the magic of Christmas.

Of course he hates candle bridges, Santa figurines and gonks. I love all of these – they are so fun. 

He doesn’t share his views on Elf on the Shelf, but I can guess. And you can probably guess what I think about it too. 

He’s very negative about door bows, scathingly commenting: ‘the age of Instagram has meant that lots of less desirables have tarted up their entrances with naff door bows and garlands.’

Well (and this will really wind him up) not only do I have my own bow (which, yes, is on my Insta page) but I also walk around my neighbourhood and give other people door bows. 

A couple of Christmases ago I managed around 20 – it really brightened the area up and people were so grateful, saying they loved them.

So William, fancy me visiting your house armed with my organza and scissors? I’m happy to…

Katie LeeKatie loves a blinding Christmas tree filled with all the Christmas colours[/caption]

Katie LeeKatie took to the streets a couple of years ago and gave her neighbours’ doors a makeover for Christmas[/caption]

For more Christmas tips, check out the best hacks for decorating including how to untangle fairy lights quickly.

Plus, people are selling unwanted Christmas presents still wrapped, can you spot any of your cast-offs?

Meanwhile, a man reveals his bizarre way of wrapping Christmas presents and people think it is hilarious.

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