A kind-hearted grandmother spent a year creating a magical Beauty and the Beast Christmas tree for her granddaughter – because the family couldn’t afford to go to Disneyland.
Widowed mother-of-five Tina Doherty-McPhee wanted to bring Disney’s festive magic to her large family for less than the cost of a trip abroad so decorated her 7ft fake tree with characters from the film.
The grandmother-of-two, from Bathgate, Scotland, spent more than £500 over 12 months gathering artificial roses, teacups and golden balls from Amazon and her local pound shop.
Tina Doherty-McPhee wanted to bring Disney’s festive magic to her large family for less than the cost of a trip abroad so decorated her 7ft fake tree with characters from Beauty and the Beast
And the sparkling tree was adorned with figurines of Mrs Potts, Belle, the Beast, Gaston and Cogsworth with a huge artificial rose placed at the top.
And while it took Ms Doherty McPhee seven hours to put up the tree, she said her children and grandchildren couldn’t believe their eyes when she unveiled the surprise earlier this month.
Creative Ms Doherty-McPhee, who is mother to Teresa, 24, Francesca, 21, Bobby, 19, Precious, 17, Trisha, 16 and also grandmother to Andrew, two, and Precious-Rose, five, said: ‘I just thought it was too expensive to go to Disneyland so I tried to bring Disneyland here instead.
‘It took me about a year to gather everything for the tree, but it was worth it.
‘It’s not about how much money you spend, it’s about how you fix everything.
‘I was so tired at the end but it was worth it – everyone was so excited.
The grandmother-of-two spent £500 over the course of 12 months gathering artificial roses, teacups and golden balls from Amazon and her local pound shop
Ms Doherty-McPhee said her grandchildren felt like the magic of Disneyland has been brought to them.
She said: ‘The kids were so excited, they even said now they have their own private Disneyland so they don’t mind not going to the actual one.
‘When Precious-Rose saw it, she couldn’t believe it, she said “it didn’t feel real”.
Ms Doherty-McPhee startd to plan her Disney-themed tree in January and enlisted help Tina from her friend Betty Allison, 78, an artist, who created some of the ornaments.
Creative Ms Doherty-McPhee is mother to Teresa, 24, Francesca, 21, Bobby, 19, Precious, 17, Trisha, 16 and also grandmother to Andrew, two, and Precious-Rose, five
She said: ‘They said it was the best present they had ever gotten and all money in the world couldn’t buy it. ‘
Her video of the tree has now racked up thousands of likes and shares on social media.
She added: ‘I am quite happy with the result.
‘Last year I did The Grinch, but this one is much more successful.
‘My granddaughter loved it so much and has told everyone about it.
‘I probably wouldn’t be able to beat this year but if I could, next year, I would do a “Lady and the Trump” tree.’
The sparkling tree was adorned with figurines of Mrs Potts, Belle, the Beast, Gaston and Cogsworth with a huge artificial rose placed at the top