This time last year, as I unwrapped the snowman and put him on the mantlepiece, I wondered where he'd be going next time round. We were Sale Agreed on our old house but hadn't found somewhere new yet. I tried to picture what the new mantlepiece might look like, in the new living room, in ...
My eyes water. Wind, sharp and stinging, pushes my hood down and drives me back. I lean in, but not in a Sheryl Sandberg way. I've got 58 minutes and five tasks. Stocking fillers. A fancy gift box. A Secret Santa pick-up. Stamps. A book. Dark shapes huddle under hoods, rushing in all directions, maybe ...
Outside, the garden is shrouded in fog, but the kids haven’t noticed, because they’re on the couch watching Gumball. They’re eating melted butter toast. I’m drinking coffee. They’re in pyjamas, and for the first morning since sometime back in August, they can stay in them. No swimming, no hockey, no football, no school. Nowhere to ...
"What was your favourite bit about Christmas when you were a kid?" they ask me every day. "First tell me yours." I always reply. And they roam through the rituals, turning them over one by one - the hot chocolate when they write their Santa letters, putting the star on the tree, staying over in Grandad's house on ...
I'm in awe of all the people I know doing Dry January, but I'm going to have to sit this one out. I admire you, but I can't find it in me to make the toughest month of the year even tougher by giving up nice things. I can't forego my Friday night wine any ...
When I was small, I don't remember my parents ever holding Santa over us at this time of year - there was never a sense that if we didn't behave, the man in red wouldn't deliver. Yes, he was magical and all-knowing, but it was all very positive - there was no threat of an ...
The first people on the list have had a house move since last year. I write the card, then address it with the unfamiliar street name. Next, four non-movers, then another new address. This time I don’t know it. I send a message to ask. The card won’t be a surprise but that's OK, cards aren’t really a surprise. Three more ...
Dear An Post, For twenty-five years, you've been organising Santa replies to letters from children all over Ireland, and for that, I thank you. It's a kind, altruistic gesture at a time of year that thrives on kind, altruistic gestures. So this isn't a complaint - it really isn't. It's more of a plea. You see, ...
Dusk. A mild November evening, with a huge purple sky above, and twinkly lights visible in the distance. They ran, one following the other, through the falling darkness. They'd just seen real reindeer, and now they wanted to take a peek into Santa's bedroom. Rushing, single-minded, single-file. We had arrived at the Airfield Estate Christmas Experience ...
Every year I look forward to Christmas with the excitement of a small child (or three small children as is the case in my house). Every year I just know it’s going to be the Best Christmas Ever. And every year, when we’re right in the middle of it, I look around and wonder how ...