By Ginger DeShaney
Andrea Antonucci has started a new tradition, transforming her Christmas tree into a St. Patrick’s Day tree.
She got the idea from a post by Jenn Nauyokas LaMountain on the Southie Community Bulletin Board.
“Around that time, I was going to take down my tree but I didn’t want to,” Andrea said. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was home all the time and wanted to keep the tree up so she could continue to enjoy it.
“I knew I could use some of my Christmas ornaments,” she said. She repurposed green, gold, and white Christmas ornaments. She also had Ireland ornaments that she had bought for her mom but got back when her mom died.
Andrea bought Irish ornaments from Southie’s Own and Amazon. Her ornaments include step dancers, a harp and fiddle, a Celtic cross, sheep, a teapot and teacup, a Trinity, and an Irish cottage.
She added orange tulle and greenery that looks like clovers.
There’s an angel wings ornament in remembrance of her mom and dad, Margaret and Andrew.
“I love to decorate,” Andrea said. “I usually go all out for Christmas and Halloween. And now that I’ve done it, I will also decorate for St. Patrick’s Day going forward.”
The tree has been very well-received. “My friends think it’s beautiful,” she said.
“It makes me happy.”
Andrea’s St. Patrick’s Day decor goes beyond the tree. She has Irish/St. Patrick’s decorations throughout her house, including signs, wall hangings, and a table runner. She decorated a three-tiered tray in the kitchen that holds Irish items and is flanked by a ceramic mug and leprechaun her mom made.
The family used to tease Margaret, Andrea said. Because Andrea’s features were more like her dad’s, “we’d tell her we’re Italian.” And she’d say, “You’re Irish, too!”
Andrea recently had Ancestry and 23 & Me testing done and found that she’s more Irish than Italian.
The tree is an ode to her mom. “She would be very happy with my tree.”
