Christmas in Ireland

Our first Christmas in Ireland....won't be in Ireland.

Because we didn't have room to store much here, the holiday decorations were one of the things that got kicked to the curb before the move.  The only things that were saved were a few handmade wood decorations my brother made about 20 years ago, and my Hallmark snowmen!  I have all 11 in this series (some I had to hunt down on Ebay), including this year's, thanks to a wonderful surprise from my BFF.  They all dance and sing and I just love them.  So, even though they take up a lot of space, they were coming with us!  There is really only one spot where they are safe from the cats, the top of the bookshelf.  So all of our Christmas cheer is all crammed into one tiny spot, but dang it, we have some!

Knowing that we wouldn't be decorating for Christmas was one of the reasons we decided to go away for the holiday.  The other is that I thought it would be the perfect time to go to Germany, which has been the top of my travel wish list for 20 years.  I have heard great things about the Christmas markets, so why not take my trip while I can also see the markets? This trip is our gift to each other, so hubby had to get something out of it too (as he's already been to Germany).  He wanted to snowboard, so we will be a few days in Munich, and a week in Austria in ski country. Not long in Germany, but long enough for me to hit some markets, go to Neuschwanstein Castle, and the Hofbräuhaus.  And now I can check it off my list :)

Meanwhile, back in Dublin, we've been seeing Christmas tree lots pop up. The first lot we saw had some little trees (like 4-5 feet tall) out front, and a few larger ones inside, but they still seemed puny compared to what we could get in the states.

Hardly taller than the shopping carts it is next to.

Often, when I was growing up, we would go to a tree farm and get the biggest tree on the farm.  One year we cut it down and then had to have it drug to our car by a pickup truck because it was so heavy.  We would have to strap them to the stair rail leading to the second story so it wouldn't topple over (wish I could find pics of this now).  In my mind these trees were 20 feet tall, but they were probably closer to 10.  Still a monster next to these guys.  We thought maybe this lot was just unusual, but the next lot was pretty much the same.

I think these were 5 feet tall at the most.

Since about mid November (since there is no Thanksgiving for them to wait for), the shopping centers have been hanging out their beautiful lights.  Our favorite is Grafton Street, a popular pedestrian shopping area in the heart of Dublin.

I was recently at an event where Christmas crackers were set out for each person.  I had seen these before in movies, but at first didn't know what they were, and had never experienced one first hand.

Hugh Grant wears his crown much better than I do!

They are not food, but named for the sound they make when you pull them apart.  Imagine putting a tissue paper crown, a riddle on a little piece of paper, and another prize in a toilet paper tube, then wrapping it to look like a giant candy, and you have the idea.  Two people grab one end each then pull, like a wishbone, and the person with the bigger end gets the prize.  I got the bigger end on my first try!  My prize was a little snowman sticker, my paper crown (which I couldn't get to fit quite right, since I have a giant head), and a really bad joke (and I usually like these kinds of jokes): What do you call a horse wearing pajamas?  A Zebra.  Yea, I didn't get it either.  But I was excited to take part in this tradition, it felt like a big step in my journey to become more Irish.

Eating mince pies was another tradition I had to try. Little pies filled with dried fruits and spices, and pretty yummy. I have not yet had a fruitcake, but here they are a special treat, and not a joke like they are in the US.  I assume here they are actually edible.

Maybe next year we will be in a house where we have more storage, and I'll start re-buying decorations and make the place look festive enough for us to want to stay at home. But for now, I am going to enjoy my travels.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Oh, and by the way, since sending international mail to my entire Christmas card list would be prohibitively expensive, please view this card I made and just pretend I sent it to you :)

Thanksgiving in Ireland

No, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Ireland, but they do celebrate great friends!

Anne and her roommates in the dinner aftermath.
Left to right: Anne, Grace, Amy, Ally, Emma.

I am lucky enough to have met a wonderful girl at church named Anne.  As soon as I open my mouth, people know I'm American.  On my first visit to the church, some of the members were welcoming me and said, "You have to meet our other American, Anne!" It didn't take long before she was talking to me about a possible Thanksgiving celebration.  Apparently she and the other 4 girls in her house tried to do one last year, but didn't get it quite right.  They were up for the challenge again this year and wanted to get it just right, just for Anne (because she's that awesome).  They also invited Hubby and I, as well as 6 other guests, some of whom were also American.

Seeing these girls together made me miss my college days where I was living with a bunch of girls, and they did up this dinner like only girls can do.  Not only was the dining table gorgeous next to the roaring fire, but it was also filled with details like decorated place cards (Hubby and I didn't get to sit together, but it made for great conversations), napkins folded like turkeys and roses, candlesticks everywhere, and pre-warmed plates so our food wouldn't get cold.  I wish I had taken more pictures.

They did a lot of work on the food, including making 2 turkeys, and enough gravy that it had to be served in a pitcher!  All the food tasted very authentic and delicious, even though they were unsure about some of it.  This was the first time Amy made, or event tasted I believe, a pecan pie, but it was perfect!  Grace couldn't understand why anyone would put marshmallows on a casserole (which I've heard from other Irish people as well), so left them off of the sweet potatoes, but they didn't even need it because she pre-roasted the potatoes.  Like a typical Thanksgiving, we eventually left clutching our full stomachs and waddling out to the car.

We didn't eat all the meat off of two turkeys, but not for lack of trying.  This is after they picked off all the leftovers.

We decided to go around the table and say a few things we were thankful for, but we weren't allowed to repeat something already said.  It took us a while to get going because we were all a little self-conscious about it, and felt the pressure of coming up with something original, but when we finally got going you almost couldn't get us to stop (partly because it got derailed into a should we/shouldn't we get a puppy for the house debate).  I have to say, I have never ever laughed so hard while giving thanks...but in a good way :)  We had a fabulous time, and are so thankful to have been included in this celebration!