Welcome to ‘ A Creative Christmas’ – a blog series where we speak to independent, inspirational business women from the Irish creative scene about how they celebrate Christmas + any festive secrets and traditions they might have and don’t mind sharing!
In this festive segment, we chat to the absolutely BRILLIANT Jen O’ Dwyer. Jen is a podcast host – actually she has a few (WILDLY SUCCESSFUL) podcasts that she co-hosts with fellow fabulous females Sophie White + Cassie Delaney – to name a few:
- THE CREEP DIVE
- MOTHER OF POD
Jen is hilarious, bold, vivacious and a JOY to be around. I meet Jen in college, we were studying fashion buying and straight off the bat I knew she was a certified LEGEND. She’s so refreshingly herself at all times and it’s utterly beguiling. I always remember after a particularly side-splittingly funny presentation of hers, our lecturer told her that fashion buying wasn’t for her but that she should be on the stage – and I’m so glad that she has found her rightful place on the (podcast) stage.
Describe Christmas in five words…
Trying to avoid my family (laughs).
What is on the menu this Christmas?
Me and Dan (Jen’s husband) have been doing Christmas for the last few years, Dan does all the cooking and I do all the rest, which I think I get jipped on. We’ll have the usual, although there is a change this year – which is gluten intolerance. Dan is after eating himself into a gluten intolerance, he ate 20 kilos of Zero Zero flour the first week of lockdown and poisoned himself for life, so now we have to have a gluten free Christmas!
Any traditions?
It’s all about the kids really (Jen has two gorgeous kids, 2 + 4 years old). Now it’s getting really fun and this year we have a plan with our neighbours who also have small kids. One of the Dads is going to dress up like Santa, we’re going to have actual footprints and we’re going to have Santa’s hat on the fence – we’ll gather all the kids together on Christmas morning. It’ll be really immersive, a new tradition!
Oh you could use those legs, that you made before (referencing a previous art moment, keeping reading)?
Oh yeah, we created them when the canal froze over, nearly ten years ago. Dan and I thought, there is some tomfoolery to be had here, so we made a mould of Dan’s legs (Jen and Dan both studied Art/Sculpture in college). Put the mould in tracksuit bottoms and socks and put the legs in the middle of the canal. Later that day, we came back to check it out – there was a huge traffic jam and people were taking photographs of the legs! Gas.
How do you decorate at Christmas Jen?
Dan is a lover of fairy lights, it’s like part of his DNA. Last year we got about 5 thousand fairy lights and draped them all across the ceiling. It was cool, so this year we’re going to do that again and continue through the kitchen, into the hall. Lighting is so important, especially in Winter.
You can listen to Jen’s enigmatic warbling’s on the Creep Dive on Tall Tales – and I would HIGHLY recommend subscribing to the CREEP DIVE PATREON. Worth every pretty penny.
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