Had I been shown these pictures a few years ago, I would have immediately thought ‘yes, definitely suburbian American town’. Little did I know that somewhere in Europe, X.C.D. (aka, XS Christmas Decorations – can I coin this acronym?) was also common practice. When I spent my first Christmas in Dublin, five years ago, I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought I had landed on the set of a cheesy Holiday comedy. Though, I think there has been a decrease in the all-out christmassy houses due to the recession, but you still can find some in working-class areas such as Crumlin and Drimnagh (South Dublin suburbs).
If you’re in Dublin for Christmas and have a car (or maybe you could ask a local taxi driver?), I can only recommend to drive around, it is such a sight, especially if, like me, you’ve been living vicariously through American television.

Also do keep an eye out for donation boxes if you see one of those seasonal beacons in the night, as they sometimes raise money for charity. People tend to leave their Christmas decorations until the first week of January so there’s still plenty of time to take a tour!
On this note, I wish you all the happiest of Christmas!

Pictures were taken in Sandymount (Bath Avenue), Rathmines (Palmerstown Road), all around Drimnagh and Crumlin (Keeper Road and Herberton Road were particularly good spots).