2011-12-24 – Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is here and we are going to head out this
afternoon to look for WI-FI so that I can talk to my parents. Oh how I miss
them. I try to be brave so as not to make everyone around me feel bad. I am
having a wonderful time and I am so glad that we are here…it’s just this is
only my second time away from my family for Christmas and the first time was
two years ago and we were only gone for five days. We did the 23rd
with them then back for the new year. I won’t see them again this year. Wow.
That sounds depressing. But things are going well.
We drove to Adare today and visited a beautiful Catholic
Cathedral. It was all decorated for Christmas services and it was beautiful. We
walked through it, I sent a prayer up for my family and friends and sucked back
the tears for the umpteenth time. We then went to Limerick and found free WI-FI
so that I could send a Christmas message to my parents. I didn’t get a chance
to talk to them but I made peace with it and was okay.
It was dark on the way back and as we drove through the
countryside we looked in the windows of the houses and there would be candles
in every window of pretty much every house. When you looked out into the
valleys or up into the hills it was the same. I don’t remember the full
tradition of that but I think it has something to do with the travellers being
able to see which houses were available to stay in for a Christmas drink…or
something like that, I’ll need to research that and look into it a little
better. It was the neatest when we got home and our driveway is down quite the
hill and we can see for miles up and we looked out and all you could see where
bright lights throughout the hills…it was very warming and nice.
Then we had a wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner of Ham and
Scallop Potatoes, cleaned up, made up a tray of desserts then we a snuggled in
front of a roaring fire and watched “A White Christmas”. It was truly a
wonderful Christmas Eve.
2011-12-25 – Christmas Day
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! I hope everyone has had a truly
wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Saviour with family and friends. Our
thoughts were with you all day and into the night.
We had a glorious day! We woke up and had coffee and
pastries then opened our presents! I was so spoiled!! I got a book, two DVD’s
(The Secret Garden and Black Beauty), a day planner, address book, socks, a
t-shirt, Starbucks Christmas Blend, a puzzle book, some Body Works bath stuff,
slippers, Christmas PJ’s and assorted chocolates. I love all that I got but I
am enjoying my fuzzy slippers and Christmas Jammies the most.
After presents we had the traditional Gale Christmas Brunch;
it is usually Waffles but we didn’t have a waffle iron so we had French toast,
bacon, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, Buck Fizz, and more coffee. After that Mr.
Turkey went into the oven and we all snuggled down and read, watched movies,
ate food, had naps all while staying in our pyjamas all day! Dinner was amazing
and so filling, my favourite part was being able to stay in my PJ’s during it!
I kinda missed dressing up for Christmas…but at the same time…I didn’t! We
ended the evening by watching “The Kingdom” and “Furry Vengeance”. Don’t ever
bother watching the second one. All in all a very fun and memorable Christmas.
On another note, I loved celebrating Christmas over here. Ireland and England. After Christmas people didn't take down everything and turn off the Christmas music. They don't until Epiphany (I asked). What is so awesome about that is that tradition wise Christmas is supposed to continue until the 6th of January. So, this year, do something different. Keep your tree up, keep eating, keep celebrating the birth of our Lord...way past the 6th of January.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us to you. :)
