'Tis the season to be jolly.......

How exciting!

It is Christmas time again!

Isn't Christmas simply the most wonderful time of the year?

I know there are some bah humbug folk out there who balk at Christmas

so today I am taking it upon myself to show you why I love Christmas,

and I promise it is not all materialistic goodness!

1. Singing.

There are countless cheesy Christmas songs out there that cause us all to groan inwardly.

Personally when I hear Noddy Holder screech "It's Christmas", I cringe.

Don't even get me started on the X Factor winner's single. Blugh.

However,

along with all this vomit inducing tripe there is caroling, and Fairytale of New York and my personal favourite:

Then there are the hymns. I'm not a church goer by any means but Christmas services are so enjoyable and peaceful. There is nothing I love more than listening to a choir joined together in harmony, singing from their souls. One song that I especially love is 'Oh Holy Night'. It is one my sister and I used to harmonize to as teens and always brings a smile to my lips and a tear to my eye.

And how about Mr. Bocelli himself with this beauty?

Or a little Enya?

2. Children

I have often heard people mutter that Christmas is only enjoyable for children or for those with young children. Balderdash to that is what I say.

It would take a heart of stone not to get caught up in the excitement of Santa Claus and selection boxes.

The chatter of kiddies as they tell each other about the reindeers etc. is wonderful to over hear and the pride in which they parade their goodies after Christmas is adorable. I can't wait to see James' nieces and nephews over the coming weeks to get their lowdown on Christmas. It will be wonderful! If I can get a skype or two to Ireland in the meantime then even better!

3. Dinner.

Yup. The dinner. Probably the most anticipated meal of the year. Brussels sprouts, bacon, roasties, stuffing and the bird of your choice! What's not to love! This year I have just Christmas Day off work so after a lie-in and dinner I plan to indulge in an Irish coffee or two and snooze on the couch while watching Christmas TV.

This brings me to my next point

4. Christmas movies

I have a couple of Christmas musts

Muppets Christmas Carol

It's a Wonderful Life

and one that I've recently been introduced to

A Christmas Story

And the ads...

5. As a kid, Christmas was not complete without the Zig and Zag Christmas adventure.

How many of you remember this?

6. Finally,

Family and friends.

Christmas is a time when we can show people we love just how much they truly mean to us.

It is a time of being thoughtful and friendly

Loving and joyful

and for the majority ends up with the 12 pubs of Christmas or some other troublesome activity.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family.

I have loved sharing 2012 with you and I look forward to doing the same in 2013.

Nollaig Shona daoibh mo chairde. Go mbeirimid beo ag an am seo arís.

Tra la la la laaa la la la la...

Comments

Ah November. You have returned.

I woke up this morning with a dullness in my heart that I normally don't have in the morning.
On my mornings allocated to sleep in I resemble a sloth blissfully unaware of life in a cocoon, but on a normal morning I wake up with a bit of a bounce. I start my day with a bit of shower time karaoke. I dance around the bedroom as I get dressed for the day. I have a great time. ( Jeez, as I write this I suddenly appreciate Stuart's morning patience a little bit more! Ha!) Anyway, the point being, despite a very early bed time last night I woke up a wee bit deflated.

Then I remembered that my old nemesis November has returned.
I did a quick calculation. Marguerite would be 32 next week.
32! Being 32 was one of my favourite times.
Another quick calculation, Marguerite will be gone 15 years this month. 15 years. 2 more years and she will be gone as long as she was with us.
Every November is a little bit easier than the last. Of course it is. Time is a wonderful healer.
But every cal…

2020

I have started this blog post four times now.
I think that is a new record for my procrastination.
I didn't do a New Year blog, and my previous versions of this were a look back on 2019.
I'll be very honest, I don't want to look back on 2019.
I want to put it in a box, and seal it away forever.

There were some fabulous moments. Of course there were! I got engaged to the most wonderful man I have ever known. I witnessed the weddings of some of my best friends. Babies were born. There was an abundance of soft play, cuddles and karaoke.

For me, 2019 will mostly remind me of being ill. It was a huge part of the year. The worry consumed me for the majority of the latter half. I now know more about hypertension, blood pressure, kidney function and kidney failure than I ever thought necessary.

It sucks being ill. It sucks knowing that you have an illness that will never go away. It doesn't feel fair. If I am very honest with myself I went into a little bit of a pity pit for a w…

Missing Marguerite. 14 years later.

On this day, 14 years ago, the world lost a little bit of its magic, when at 11pm, my little sister took her final breath and life changed as we all knew it. She was only 17 years old. 17 years and 19 days to be exact. As I sat here today reading all the lovely messages written about her, my heart soared with pride in the fact that in her short time with us, she managed to have such a big impact on so many people. Marguerite Mary O'Dwyer, an ambassador for mischief, mockery and for having a marvellous time. I miss her so much.

It is funny how every year there is something different that I focus on for the anniversary. I never choose my train of thought, I think the year since the last anniversary chooses it for me. Last night, I got fairly plastered on wine and when my other half went to his bed, I sat and sang along to every sad song I could think of. I had a wee chat with Mags before I went to bed and woke up this morning well rested and ready to seize the day.
I got quite sad a…

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