Inside my Gypsy Christmas where £1.5k decorations are the norm and we have a 25 roast dinners to prepare for the big day
MUM-of-four Tracey King has never skimped on Christmas, being part of the traveller community, she says it’s impossible.
The 50-year-old doesn’t waste any time when it hits November to get ready for the festive season, spending days turning her council home into a Christmas grotto.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Tracey, says people in the traveller community often compete with each other to have the biggest decorations.
She says: “It’s a big deal, we just like to make things bigger and better.
“We go more out for Christmas than actually birthdays. Like we do nice shows for birthdays, but Christmas, it’s like everybody wants the best of everything and it does become a bit of a competition.
“We always go over the top on occasions, like birthdays, Christmas, always go over the top.
“I’ve always done that since I’ve had children myself. I just enjoy the fact that the kids grow up and can’t say they didn’t have a cr**py childhood.”
Now Tracey has given Fabulous a tour of her council house home, and you would be forgiven if you thought you were entering Santa’s grotto.
A 6ft tree stands directly in front of the front door adorned with Disney ornaments and plushies Tracey has picked up in charity shops over the years.
Moving over to the kitchen, Tracey has covered the door with a Christmas banner while her hob was unusable as it now hosted her gingerbread men and Christmas tree she handpainted after buying them on Facebook Marketplace for £100 – along with a wreath hanging above.
Along the kitchen counters, Trace’s gingerbread house village sprawled along it and sparing no detail, Tracey switched her usual diningware for Christmas-themed plates, bowls and cups.
As you can imagine, Tracey’s front room was just as extravagant starting with traditional mistletoe under the door and sparkly fairy lights.
Inside, Tracey had covered her sofas with red blankets with snowflakes and Father Christmas cushions.
The curtains had been bejewelled with large garlands made from red and blue baubles while her dining table was filled with Santa figurines and more miniature Christmas villages.
To the right side of the living room, Tracey had yet another Christmas tree that barely fit in the room, completely smothered in candy canes, lollipops and bows in a red and white theme.
Instead of a star at the top Tracey opted for an explosion of candy canes that brushed along the ceiling.
How to look after your real Christmas tree
HERE'S what you need to know if you're buying a real Christmas tree:
First thing’s first: buy a pot (if it doesn’t come in one already).
You’ll need to treat your tree just like a houseplant and give it water and attention.
Make sure the container has good drainage – and it’s a good idea to put something underneath to catch the excess water.
Check the soil everyday to make sure it’s not drying out.
If it feels dry, give it some water. If it still feels moist, leave it alone as too much water can also kill a tree.
Also check the LED bulbs on your tree lights aren’t too hot as they could burn it, and keep your tree away from radiators.
When Christmas is over, try planting it in the garden so you can dig it up and use it again next year.
It’s a good idea to take it out of its pot when you do re-plant it though, as large trees don’t survive well in pots as their roots need space to grow.
To complete her Christmas grotto a large nutcracker stood guarding the tree along with several Santa Claus’ and oversized baubles.
Now Tracey also has grandchildren, she does everything to ensure Christmas at her house can’t be beat and spends days getting her house prepped.
From cleaning to getting decorations out of the loft and putting them up, Tracye reckons it takes over two days to complete the festive transformation.
My house might look like Santa’s grotto or whatever, but we haven’t got money
Tracey King
From having two Christmas trees in the house to life-size nutcrackers and giant baubles to turn her council house into a secret grotto.
Tracey regularly switches up her Christmas decorations and has spent over £1,500 to get her house looking as festive as possible.
This year she says she spent over £300 on additional decorations and reveals she loves looking in The Range, Home Sense and Home Bargains for Christmas decor.
And once Tracey has finished decorating in November, she’s all about bringing a bit of Christmas into every day.
Not only are cheese boards a nightly staple for her and her husband Mark, also known as the Cheese King, she also commits to a full roast dinner every single day in December.
“I’ll do roast dinner every day for 25 days,” adds Tracey, who is adamant she isn’t sick of them by the time Christmas day comes around.
“We try and get as many people around in the month of December and then we’ll go all out to do a roast dinner for them, we can have 25 Christmas dinners in December.”
Tracey ensures she makes every roast feel special for her guests and makes sure crackers are present for them, which she buys in the January sales and puts away for the next year to save money.
While it might be pricey buying a joint of meat every day, Tracey often stores them in the freezer when she sees a yellow-sticker to help cut costs.
“My house might look like Santa’s grotto or whatever, but we haven’t got money,” adds Tracey.
But for Christmas day, Tracey won’t scrimp and goes out to pick her Turkey while it’s still alive, after, she takes the bird home on Christmas Eve and plucks it herself with her children.
“They’ll stand there and pick a few feathers out and it’s just a, you know, happy memory,” adds Tracey.
“I want them all to grow up and say, oh God, my mum really put herself out. We had the best childhood. We had the best Christmases.”