Now in its 22nd year operating in Bredbo, this festive family business started in Woden in the early 70s. Photo: Supplied.
Christmas tradition is everything at the Bredbo Christmas Barn.
It’s what they sell, what keeps customers returning and how they’ve maintained the family business for more than four decades.
Fresh from their annual pilgrimage around the world to source seasonal treasures, the elves at the Bredbo Christmas Barn have opened their doors for another festive season.
Carly Stone took the reins from mother, Leanne De Smet, in about 2023. She says a trip to the barn has become standard for many loyal customers.
“We get so many people where it is their family tradition. The kids get to pick an ornament each year to pop on the tree,” she said.
“When we talk to kids, it’s really funny, you can say to them, ‘What did you get from Santa last year?’ and they can’t remember, but they can tell you what decoration they’ve bought every year.”
This fourth-generation family-owned business started with Carly’s grandmother, who ran a homewares store in Woden in the 70s. Before long, Carly’s mother joined the business, eventually narrowing its focus.
“Mum decided that Christmas was her passion and she started importing Christmas in all colours,” said Carly.
“She was probably one of the first in Australia to really bring Christmas in all colours of the rainbow, not just your traditional reds and greens.”
Carly Stone says she never tires of Christmas and decorates seven trees at home each year. Photo: Supplied.
Now in its 22nd year operating from its Bredbo locale, the barn is a regional success story.
In a township of around 400 people, about an hour’s drive from Canberra, the business continues to survive, thrive and attract loyal customers from across Australia.
“We had a lady in yesterday from Geraldton in WA who comes to see us twice a year,” Carly said.
“We’ve had people from North Queensland drive down with plastic tubs to fill. We have a mother and son who fly from Adelaide once a year and fill up a suitcase.”
Carly sees the remote location as a strength, allowing them to avoid “huge city rents” and create a better experience for shoppers.
“We can be as creative as we want in Bredbo,” she said. “Because we’re not in a shopping centre, we’ve got the space to create that atmosphere.”
All-day parking makes for a leisurely day out, while nearby Anzac Memorial Park gives little legs a chance to stretch after the road trip.
Travellers can refuel at Bredbo Inn Hotel, Snow Bunny Cafe and Bredbo Pie Shop before settling in for the next leg of the journey – home or further afield.
“Cooma has some amazing restaurants and shops as well – like Birdsnest, which has a huge following around Australia as well,” said Carly.
“There’s definitely lots to bring you to the Snowy Mountains area.”
Though the store opens from June to December, Carly said Christmas was a 12-month business.
During the five-month “break”, the team is either overseas, scouring Asia, America, Europe and the Netherlands, or at home, working up to 14-hour days designing and building displays.
For some Christmas collectibles, only a few hundred pieces are produced worldwide. Photo: Supplied.
In addition to ornaments, tinsel and trimmings of every imaginable hue, collectibles are sourced from international design houses like Katherine’s Collection and Mark Roberts, with many pieces handcrafted and limited-edition, produced for a single season and sometimes limited to just a few hundred pieces worldwide.
Carly said it’s one of the few industries which remained primarily “man-made”.
“A lot of people don’t realise that Christmas is ‘made to order’ in a sense. It isn’t mass-produced,” she said. “It is a real artisan product.”
Carly said part of the barn’s magic was that it didn’t follow trends, instead offering “every colour way and every theme, every year”.
One trend Carly can get behind is the growing popularity of Christmas in July.
“It’s getting big around the world,” she said. “A lot of people make Christmas in July their Christmas with friends.
“You can wear funny sweaters and have a couple of drinks, or have a girls’ night, do some crafting and paint a Christmas decoration.”
The family behind Bredbo Christmas Barn. From left to right: Ben, Carly, Isabella, Angus, Leanne and Neville. Photo: Supplied.
As she excitedly rattles off these potential new traditions, I have to ask: Does she ever just get Christmas-ed out?
“I do seven fully themed Christmas trees at home, ” she answers.
“So no, I love it. I still buy things for myself all the time. Even when we travel for our own holidays, I’m drawn to finding a Christmas shop and having a look around.”
Follow the Bredbo Christmas Barn on Facebook or make the trip to 23 Monaro Highway, Bredbo.
