The smell of one-sided toast with melted butter - it was always done on just one side under the grill, crisp and melty. Tea for the grown-ups, milk for us. Sitting by the fire that my grandmother had set when she got up at half six, as she did every morning. The smell of turf; ...
"Why are there never any pencils in this house? If I could have one thing from Santa, it would be a working pencil," I said to my daughter as I tried to tick off her homework. She gave me a look that said "Right....you go ahead and ask for a pencil, I'm sticking with the Anna ...
We were twenty-five minutes late leaving the house. Not a good start. Dun Laoghaire to Malahide is long journey. But Sunday morning means light traffic. Or so we hoped, as we made our way towards the M50, promising the kids we'd definitely make it on time - that there was no way we'd miss their appointment with Santa. We'd ...
Taking kids to visit Santa in the run up to Christmas - a tradition that's been around since the 19th century in the States, and presumably almost as long here in Ireland. I have gorgeous memories of going to see "Santy" in Switzers in Cork in the 1980s - I can't remember any of the ...
It's New Year's Day and there are familiar signs that Christmas is nearly over - the tree branches are starting to droop and wilt, the new toys are scattered all over the house, and the last few Heroes have been eaten (except the Eclairs and Fudges). Each year, I think we're going to have our best ...
It was going to be the best Christmas ever. We say that every year of course, and every year we mean it. But last year was definitely going to be the best Christmas ever. We had planned everything in tiny detail - not remembering any of that "if you want to make God laugh, tell him ...
As an antidote to yesterday's slightly downbeat post, here's something more festive: five things I didn't know about Christmas until I had kids. 1. There's a reason kids go to bed early on Christmas Eve Before having children, I wondered about the emphasis on getting kids to bed earlier than usual on Christmas Eve - why all ...
"Mum can I tell you something?" I looked down at the sad little face of my four-year-old and tensed slightly, hoping it would be that she was thirsty or hungry (states often inexplicably accompanied by a sombre tone) "Today the twins in my class - you know Sarah and Robert*? They brought in Christmas cards and gave ...
Little black dresses, large gins, lots of shots. Speeches, spills, too many beers, late night tears. Every Christmas party ever. New dresses bought each year, sparkles everywhere - eyeshadow, clutches and heels. Glamorous venues like Powerscourt and Luttrelstown and the Guinness Storehouse. Drinks then buses then drinks then food then drinks and more drinks. Important questions about the ...