Trailing Off....: I Had Myself A Merry Little Christmas

Talbot Street

For the first time since Christmas 2008, I was in an English speaking country to celebrate the holidays. Not only an English speaking country, but a country that celebrates Christmas (i.e., predominantly Christian). China and Thailand have caught the commercial fever of lights, Santa grottos, and shopping, but there is something lacking in the overall spirit in these places. Not to mention that in Thailand, it's 32/90 degrees on Christmas just like every other day of the year. So here are some things that made this particular year special.

1. City Sidewalks
Every major shopping street on both sides of the Liffey River was awash in the glow from strung lights, Christmas trees, and store window displays. Because I go for a run well before sunrise, I was able to see the lights every morning and feel a bit of Christmas magic. I've never lived in any city that works so hard to create such a festive and elaborate setting.

window display Henry Street

2. Shopping
I was the last person to be hired at my school so the first to be "laid off" as students drifted away to their home countries for the holidays. So instead of finishing on December 20 like the other teachers, I was given the heave-ho ho ho on December 13. This gave me an extra week to do some shopping. In the past, I was limited in my shopping venues. China has a lot of stuff for sale, but it is mostly crap found at EuroGiant and the Dollar Tree or in overpriced hippy stores selling colourful bags, incense, and iron-on patches with marijuana leaves (I've never actually seen these ironed on anything). Last year, I bought all my gifts on Amazon, but it felt like cheating.

O'Connell Street

So this last Christmas, I wandered in and out of all the nooks and crannies of Dublin I could, seeking out the perfect gifts. The days were bright and sunny, carollers were out, men in gaudy Christmas jumpers were beginning their Twelve Pubs of Christmas crawls, and different locations had Christmas markets selling locally made food and crafts. The city was absolutely abuzz with Christmas energy. I wasn't happy with all the gifts I bought, but I loved the process.

Moore Street-where you can get fresh meat, veg, and fruit, hair extensions, and SIM cards

gifts disguised in boxes

Speaking of gifts. I don't know if all Americans do this, but my family always wraps gifts in leftover boxes like the boxes shoes and irons come in. I bought S's cousin a lovely silk tie and to hide its tie shape, I put it in the box that once contained the Christmas lights bought at Eurogiant. I noticed later that the box had been unwrapped but unopened. I explained the tradition and the cousin seemed pleased with the "real" gift. But to imagine him sitting there a good 30 minutes thinking I bought him Christmas lights! Ha!

3. Being Home for Christmas
The main attraction for Christmas is spending it with your inner circle. This was my fifth Christmas with Stephen but my first with one of our families and our first as a married couple. S and his brother's family gathered at their parents house for the day and we enjoyed the relaxed chit chat. Children don't hide their joy at having presents (like adults do), so it was great fun to see them tear through their packages and signal their "thumbs up" by playing with something for longer than 2 minutes.

Sean uses a gift to deliver beer to Daddy

Christmas Dinner is one of my favourite parts of the day. Paul made a lovely lemongrass coconut soup before the main event. Turkey and stuffing (strange to have on Dec. 25, I know), baked ham, and roasted potatoes and vegetables, all covered in gravy if desired. Followed by trifle and Christmas pudding. Christmas pudding is this crazy fruit cake concoction made weeks in advance and soaked in booze. It's wonderful.

Ciaran enjoys pre-dinner sausages from Munich. The sausages were later stolen and consumed by the dogs.

4. St. Stephen's Day
Everything is closed on Christmas Day, so on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, St. Stephen's Day, people go to the pubs to drink as if they've been in a desert for a year. Perhaps because of this tendency towards excess or because the publicans need time off too, the pubs are only open a few hours on Dec. 26. We took a long uphill walk to the Summit in Howth, had a pint next to the fireplace in the Abbey Tavern and then met Stephen's parents in their local. The place was packed and everyone was in good form.

pre-pint walk to Howth Summit

5. Godfatherhood
When I moved to Istanbul in September, 2009 S was also there with his university friend from Ireland, Richie and his American wife, Kim. The four of us hung out a few times and then said our goodbyes the following February when we left for Poland and have stayed in touch since. While S and I were drifting from one country to the next, Richie and Kim stayed in Istanbul and had two beautiful sons: Liam Ulysses and Frederick Seneca. S was asked to be Fred's godfather and so we went to Templemore (about an hour from Dublin by train) to be part of the christening. Templemore is a beautiful little town in Irish dairy country.

Stephen, Kim, Fred, Richie, Freida (Richie's sister and Fred's godmother)

I have no idea where I'll be the next Christmas. Estonia, Malaysia, and Mexico seem just as likely as Dublin given the unpredictability of the ESL industry. So I'll hold on to the memory of this Christmas which was as Christmas as Christmas gets.