After a rush of last minute testing and last minute touches, Christmas is Now on Air! The atmosphere in the station is electric.

We are excited about the launch tomorrow of the ISPCC Christmas FM 89.9 FM which will be live across Dublin and surrounding area’s playing non stop christmas music to get everyone in the mood for the festive celebrations. Christmas FM will also be streaming live via the web so make sure you listen in!



TheCostumeshop.ie is delighted to be be involved in sponsoring the Morning Breakfast show and we’ll be doing our very best to set your mood for the festive season.


The ISPCC will also be running the “Holly Days” campaign, so if you see Macala or any our Christmas FM / ISPCC volunteers around the shops during your shopping trips please donate 2Euro and wear the holly badge proudly.



Programing goes on from the 28th Nov to the 28 of December, raising much needed funds for the ISPCC. I’ll be down in the station tonight where they’ll be doing some test shows which will probably air on the web so if you want a exclusive preview, now your in the know!

Big thanks to Garv, Darragh, Paul, Anne… and absolutely everyone else involved – who tirelessly donate their time, buckets of energy and money to getting this project off the ground!

With the christmas season now truely upon us many clubs, charities and offices are looking to replace that old Santa Suit purchased so many years ago. Here are some helpful tips when doing so:

Grotto Santa Suit

To Rent or Buy a Santa Suit?

The truth is that its nearly the same price to rent as buy a santa suit. Rental costume shops can only rent out their suits a hand full of times each year. Shockingly, In our price surveys we have found that over 72% of the time it is cheaper to buy a costume that to rent one – when you compare like with like (same costume from same manufacturer).


How Much to spend on a Santa Suit?

A Santa Suit tends to be a purchase that you make only once, therefore you have little to compare it to. Grotto Santa’s will usually spend between 300 – 500 Euro on a Suit, for professional use. Clubs and charities will tend to spend 100 – 200 Euro – at this price range you still get an extremely high quality suit so don’t think you have to spend a fortune to look the part.

If your shopping on a budget for a santa suit but want a really professional look i would strongly recommend the Crimson Deluxe Santa Costume as pictured below:





What Santa Costume Accessories Should you consider?

One thing many overlook is that most children are closer to your shoes that you think. The biggest let down is a santa without the correct footwear – for some its on their eyeline, for others when they are shy they look down at their feet and Santa’s!! Therefore we strongly suggest putting the same amount of thought that a lady puts into footware for a wedding into what footware to go for for your Santa.

We strongly recommend the Santa Boots Pictured below for that ultra realistic look.



And Last but not least, remember to fully read the description of what your Santa Suit includes. Usually a santa beard is sold seperately and ofcourse Santa would look silly without one!


Happy Christmas!

Years ago, in the age of the baby boomers, offices were hushed and serious – not to mention stressful – but things have changed in today’s age. Office parties are held regularly and play a major part in the reduction of work-related stress.

Workers want time to relax, and they want it to be sporadic. When you know and understand that you have free time, plans are always made to get work done instead of just laying back and taking a break. Imagine the surprise when you come to work expecting to bust your butt, but instead find a collage of fun activities.

And, boy, the activities that there are. We are all children inside, and the simple time-wasting games are, irrefutably, still enjoyable (of course, time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted). Magic cubes, paddle ball games, Monopoly (oh boy) – anything will work. Just stay away from the Rubik’s cube: those bring more stress than relaxation, in my opinion.

There is something about the little spice in life when a party is thrown, too. Maracas, flowers, and disco balls make their way into the workspace, and it seems easier to just take your mind off things for a while. Who doesn’t like a game of mini-golf, after all?

In any case, go crazy. Consult with your boss, your workmates, get the festivities started! The world of impeccability is over the end of the cliff, just jump off. There are no consequences, just fun. In fact, you are bound to find out how you really act under no amount of stress – the person that you actually are.

Kick off your now-planned (nice job) party with one of our costumes. We have everything you could possibly think of, including the now-popular pirate costumes, the ever-popular convict costume, and some that you probably haven’t heard of.

There isn’t any down-side to an office party. You have an excuse to get an awesome costume, you get to relax, and you get to party! Honestly, if not for the lack of productivity (unless you worm it into your party), office parties would be completely mandatory.

As a follow up to our Previous Post on Giving Rick Gervais a Cosutme here’s the Pic he promised of Karl in the Whoopie cushion Costume

For more pics check out Ricky Gervais’ Blog