30 pictures inside the five Scotland's Christmas Home of the Year finalists - including the Victorian winner

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means we’re only a few hours away from knowing who has been crowned the winner of Scotland's Christmas Home of the Year for 2024.

The judges step into Christmas and visit cracking abodes in Alloa, Cumbernauld, Dalkeith, Fraserburgh and Lesmahagow, as Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year (SCHOTY) goes in search of the most fabulously festive homes across the land.

From decorated doorways to tinselled trees and festooned fireplaces, the judges look at every detail before choosing the winner. While architectural merit and stylish interior design are factors, they’ll also mark the five homes on festive flair and seasonal style.

Here we take a look inside the five finalists' homes ahead of the programme being aired tonight (Monday 16 December) on BBC One Scotland from 8-9pm.

Homeowners: Ann & Rolf.

This unassuming cottage in Alloa is over 250 years old which has a surprising ‘tardis like’ feel inside which really comes to life at Christmas. Ann and Rolf reconfigured the original layout of Santa’s Snug to create more open-plan living which includes a kitchen with a vaulted ceiling – perfect for their giant floating Christmas baubles. Ann loves to mix old decorations with new festive ideas transforming ‘trends’ into her own unique style. For Ann, it’s all about the little touches and Santa’s Snug has quirky festive details sprinkle throughout.

Homeowners: Gillian & Philip who live there with teenage sons Mitchell (19) and Mackenzie (16)

Every Christmas, Gillian goes to painstaking lengths to transform their self-build family home in Cumbernauld into a winter wonderland. Gillian insists on doing it all herself as no one can match her exacting standards. There are trees in almost every room at Mistletoe House as well as three embellished doorway arches made up of hundreds of baubles and a giant garland, wrapped around the full length of the staircase. For Gillian and Phillip, Mistletoe House is Christmas HQ for all the family where everyone comes together.

Homeowners: Kirsty & partner Gordon and their two children, Rae (5) and one-year-old Freddie

Formerly Kirsty’s grandparent’s home, Holly Bank House carries lots of happy family memories, particularly at Christmastime. Today, Kirsty mirrors the magical festive feel she experienced as a child for her young family. When it comes to Christmas décor, it’s all about natural materials such as fresh hand-picked foliage and homemade swags, mixed with warm velvets and roaring log fires. Since moving in to Holly Bank House four years ago, Kirsty found a box of her late-gran’s old Christmas decorations which she’s used this year as part of her festive designs.

Homeowners: Matthew & partner Stephen with their pugs, Isaac and Harry.

Matthew is a self-confessed Christmas enthusiast and has been decorating for as long as he can remember. His Christmas collection has been lovingly curated over the years ever since he was a little boy and he now owns baubles from all over the world in Candy Lane Lodge. He has a rule that no two baubles can be the same on any of the trees in their Fraserburgh home. Needless to say Christmas is the highlight of the year in Matthew and Stephen’s cottage.

Homeowners: Angela & Mark and four children, Marylee (15), Samuel (14), Marcus (6) and Rosa (5)

For this family, Christmas is all about getting everyone involved in the festivities from festive baking to Christmas crafts and collecting foliage for handmade decorations. The family have a very traditional approach to decorating and try to bring the outdoors inside to create a nature-inspired Christmas theme throughout Festive Farmhouse. Angela and Mark also like to incorporate their kids arts and crafting in their Christmas interiors. Their favourite time of the year, Christmas is all about hosting friends and family at the Festive Farmhouse.

Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year is an IWC Media (a Banijay UK company) production for BBC Scotland.