Kim Barlow (left) and Sue Brinton from Santa’s Secret can be found glittered year-round. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Kim Barlow, owner of Santa’s Secret in Bungendore, has a year-round problem.
It’s not the seasonal nature of her trade, and it’s not too much Christmas cheer.
It’s glitter. No matter which way you look at it, if you own a Christmas shop, you will forever be covered in glitter.
Having opened Bungendore’s first Christmas shop in October 2024, Kim sees the glitter problem as a fair trade for spending all of her days immersed in the joys of Christmas and sharing those joys with her chosen community.
“Bringing the first Christmas shop to Bungendore is a dream. I never thought I would have something like this; I’m still blown away by it,” Kim tells Region.
Santa’s Secret isn’t your standard Christmas shop. While you can pop in and grab a snow globe or some glittered poinsettia, what Kim really specialises in is selling decorated Christmas trees, lock, stock and barrel.
The whole trees, which are decorated in the ‘over-stuffed’ style that Kim says originates in Europe but was popularised in the region by the Bredbo Christmas Barn, range in price from around $1500 to more than $3000.
Kim’s botanical tree is a stunning combo of Australiana and Christmas. Photo: Tenele Conway.
The designs are bold and colourful and far from generic, with Kim handcrafting many of the decorations herself to achieve the oversized look that she loves.
It’s an art that Kim first got into in a surprising way. Dealing with chronic pain from an autoimmune disease, Kim’s doctor told her that to get through her days, she would need to learn to put her pain in a box.
“I thought at first, ‘That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard’, until I understood, and I thought, ‘I’ve put pain into a ball.””
Kim is referring to the oversized Christmas balls and baubles that she hand makes for the shop and the act of creating them that has helped channel the pain.
“Everything you see here is a combination of putting something away and moving forward.”
As we walk around the shop, Kim has a name and a story for each tree and brings each to life with her quietly enthusiastic nature.
As we walk by an eye-catching tree with a riot of oranges and ambers, Kim tells me it is her botanical tree. Adorned in bottlebrushes and waratahs, the Australiana elements blend with the handmade oversized baubles and frost-tipped pine needles. It’s a popular design that Kim has sold four of already.
Just nearby is Kim’s New Orleans tree, where an explosion of silver and red brings wild Mardi Gras energy, and right next door is a handsome tree in blues, golds and silvers that Kim calls ‘The Admiral’.
“It’s a nod to our defence and service personnel,” says Kim as she cuts herself short to beeline for the tree, exclaiming that she still needs to zhuzh.
Mardi Gras (left) and The Admiral appeal to different customers. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Zhuzzing to ensure that each decoration is in just the right spot appears to be a pastime for Kim and her colleague, Sue Brinton. It ensures that each tree looks its best while restocking any fallen glitter from their hair and faces.
Kim feels some trees click with people and others don’t. She says The Admiral is often admired by men for its more masculine elements, and women often find it too masculine.
The fact that Kim can bring out a personality in a tree is a real talent, and as she talks of choosing pieces for each tree that tell a story that is far more than just colour theory, I can sense a lifetime of pent-up creativity spilling out of the former property manager.
That creativity and need for each and everything to be in its place makes Kim conscious of a tree that she currently has under construction in the centre of the store.
The unique carousel-themed tree features vintage circus toys Kim found at a fair.
“This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; it challenges you. I don’t want things to be realistic with the decorations; it’s about the overall theme.”
The tree, Kim explains, is in need of some more large balls, and she was going home that very day to make them. That’s how immediate the nature of Kim’s craft is, and that allows her the freedom to bring her creative vision to life.
“I like things that are a bit out there; it’s about imagination and bringing the child in us back into Christmas.”
As we walk and primp and ‘oooo’ and ‘ahhh’ over the trees, Kim is always keen to give credit to all the people who have made it all happen. Her friend and colleague Sue and both of their husbands are instrumental in the more physical elements of building the store, and Kim also credits Leanne at the Bredbo Christmas Barn for her inspiration.
“I believe Leanne has inspired most of the eastern seaboard of Australia, as she brought the ideas of the overstuffed trees to Australia decades ago. I’ve been very much inspired by her work.”
Santa’s Secret is located at 24B Malbon Street (The King’s Highway), Bungendore.
It’s open year-round from Friday until Sunday from 10 am until 3 pm. For November and December it will open 5 days a week from Thursday until Monday 10 am until 3 pm.
