Christmas in a Catholic Country

Jaysus McChristy, it's Christmas with a capital C in these parts. Dublin is absolutely decked to the halls: lights of all colors draped over lampposts, in the shape of snowmen, and reindeers, and candycanes and snowflakes, wreaths of all sizes, giant christmas trees in the train stations, even life size lite-up and blow-up doll Frostie the snowmen have been spotted in our 'hood. My neighbors have what appear to be pinata style snowman decorations. It's quite something, from the tacky to the magical and back again. Welcome to tinsel town. :) Radio DJs are promoting charities and discussing the (apparently rapidly disappearing) joys of the christmas layer cake. (fyi: this sponge cake is three layers of yellow, pink and brown cake so maybe there's a reason it's going extinct.) All the stores are full of Christmas puddings and Christmas crackers...I even saw something called a Christmas Mallow yesterday in Supervalu which appeared to be a tartlike thing filled with an unappealing amount of marshmallow filling and a little frosted snowflake on top. Mulled wine is also appearing everywhere... mmmm ...certainly don't mind that. More wine, less mallow please. Gotta love the fact that Dec. 26 is boxing day and so while we're all getting back to normal on the 26th in the states...the party just continues in these parts. (Tom has informed me that we're going to some sort of clubby / DJ thing on Boxing day in Belfast with a bunch of the Northy peeps.)

While I will certainly miss all my Boston loves, ice-skating on the common, mulled cider at Wilson's farm, taking out my Christmas ornaments (which mark every year of my life thus far,) holiday dinner with the ladies, and most of all, the warm fuzzies of Christmas Eve at Seventy Perry and eating Cippino (sp?) with crusty bread and wine, it will no doubt be a festive holiday season in Irlanda. There will most likely be some good eating, good drinking, and general merriment all round. You can't say the Irish don't know how to party. Merry, Merry y'all.