'Mr. Christmas': East Hampton Gardens Owner Michael Giannelli Knows How To Get the Village in the Holiday Spirit

Mariah Carey has long been the celebrity representative of Christmas spirit in this country and even around the world — but on the East End, that title belongs to Michael Giannelli.

In 2017, Giannelli bought East Hampton Gardens on (fittingly) Gingerbread Lane in East Hampton Village, putting his own personal stamp on the longtime business, inspired by his lifelong love of gardening and entertaining.

Under his management, the business has had a serious glow-up while still offering the high-quality flowers and plants that gave it a stellar reputation.

In addition to thoroughly renovating the store and grounds, Giannelli established a new flower shop, offered professional interior design services, and brought in new outdoor furniture, garden ornamentation, and an extensive selection of entertaining, tabletop, gift, and home decor lines, with a mix of local brands and several brands exclusive in the Hamptons to East Hampton Gardens.

A new tradition Giannelli has created with the business is the transformation of the interior space to a holiday wonderland each year, with curated holiday-themed gifts, ornaments and other items for sale in a beautifully decorated and designed tableau.

It’s a lot of work preparing the store for the holiday season, and it starts in earnest in October, Giannelli says, but it’s clear that it’s a labor of love, and something he felt called to do to fill a kind of Christmas spirit void.

“There was nobody else doing it, and it felt like, with a beautiful town like East Hampton, what was missing was a really beautiful holiday shop,” he said.

The garden shop at Marder’s in Bridgehampton has also earned a reputation for serving up holiday flair, and Giannelli said he has enjoyed visiting that shop in years past. But in taking on the duty of putting together his own Christmas magic, Giannelli was determined to make each year unique and special from a decor perspective.

Several different trees are set up and decorated in the store, with different themes each year.

“This year, we have a peppermint twist tree, with all reds, whites and pinks,” he said. “It’s really lovely. We also have a ‘Home for the Holiday’ tree, more of a classic, traditional Christmas theme, and we also have ‘The Sweet Shop,’ which is all candy- and kid-related ornaments.”

There’s also a retro Christmas tree, and a luxury Christmas tree, featuring caviar, oyster and champagne ornaments and decorations.

For Giannelli, all bets are off once Halloween is over. On November 1, the lights go on, and it’s a full Christmas blitz at 16 Gingerbread Lane for two months straight. The store stays extremely busy throughout that time as well, and even in the month of October.

In addition to the work it takes to put together the intricate and expansive decorations inside the store, East Hampton Gardens also offers full-service in-home Christmas styling, booking consultations with clients and then handling all the work of holiday home decor for clients, from setting up themed trees to arranging mantels, stringing garland and wreaths, and more.

Giannelli has done Christmas home design for many high-end clients throughout East Hampton and as far as Southampton as well, including several celebrities, most of whom he cannot name drop because of nondisclosure agreements.

The holiday aspect of the business is essentially the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Giannelli.

“I wanted to do it because I’ve been obsessed with Christmas since I was a child,” he said. “I used to design my parents’ house.”

The Christmas shop at the store helps inspire clients and also helps feed the in-home styling aspect of the business.

“I’ve booked new clients from them coming in to shop Christmas,” he said. “They’ll look around and say, ‘Can you do this at my house?’”

Even for clients who cannot afford to have East Hampton Gardens transform their homes for the holidays, it’s well worth a visit to the shop, which will host its Holiday Open House from November 24 through 26. Hot chocolate and sweets will be served, and on Saturday, November 25, Santa himself will be there at noon. Shoppers are invited to bring their children and dogs for photos with Santa.

On December 9, East Hampton Gardens also will host a wreath-making workshop from noon until 2 p.m.

In the meantime, Giannelli and his staff will continue to be hard at work doing what they do best — a job that has earned Giannelli a special nickname.

“I used to do the Baldwins’ house every year, and they coined the phrase ‘Mr. Christmas,’” he said with a laugh. “That just evolved into everybody calling me ‘Mr. Christmas.’ I love it.

“My two passions were to own a nursery and garden store, and an event business, and that last part turned into me just doing Christmas.”