Christmas in January

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christmas, family, friends, gifts, January, parcels, photography, photos, presents

Today I picked up two parcels from the post office, and both were somewhat delayed Christmas gifts. And while there may have been something  a little bit strange about opening Christmas gifts nearly a month after the ‘big day’ I have to say I really enjoyed my Christmas in January.

First I made myself a large cup of tea and then I took my time unwrapping and admiring the goodies as I freed them from the paper. A new calendar, some lovely notebooks and a gorgeous pen and pencil set, some candles, bags of yummy goodies and sachets of very promising “concentration’ tea  have now been added to my possessions.

And I have to admit I felt very loved and cared for and it was the perfect way to end a  somewhat stressful week – and for some reason it makes me feel very prepared for next week, when it goes back to being a student doing my masters. So maybe having a  Christmas in January should be mandatory for all, as it helps with the January blues.

taking down Christmas

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2016, Berlin, christmas, christmas tree, New Year, travel

Today I spent some time taking down Christmas. It all started with the tree that  I needed to un-decorate, as it was losing all its needles. And since I am leaving for Germany first thing tomorrow morning, there was no other time than today.

However, It did take longer than I thought, those branches were putting up a good fight, but I won in the end and I even disposed of the sorry looking heap. As I then began putting away all of my shoe Christmas tree decorations I decided to put away most of the other decorations as well … now all that is left to greet me when I return are my stars in the window. But since stars are not just for Christmas I thought I could give them some more time to shine.

So, between running all of those last minute messages (for all you Americans out there that is what the Irish call errands) and frantically packing I am still up and won’t be in bed for another while – even though I do have to get up at 4am to catch my flight.

And while taking down Christmas is always a little bit sad getting ready for a New Year’s adventure is the best reason to do it for! I just hope I get a chance to nap because I don’t want to greet 2016 with rings under my eyes.

post-Christmas haze

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christmas, Christmas haze, Dublin, Ireland, mixed up days, post-Christmas haze, things to do

The tree is still up the New Year is  a few days away and I have somehow succumb to the post-Christmas haze. I think it may a combination of nearly a week of too much good food,  hours spent at home in front of the fire knitting and reading, meeting friends and bringing another friend and her sick kitty to the vet.

I have somehow lost track of what day it is, but then who can blame me when someone has renamed them all to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Stephen’s Day and yesterday was a Bank Holiday (I think maybe today is one too). But looking at the calendar I have realized I only have two days left in Dublin before I head out to Germany and panic has set in.

Most of today will be taken up with a wedding and the list of things left to do is longer than my arm so I doubt that I will manage it all. After all one day (tomorrow) of rushing around just will not be enough – especially since the haze has got me in it’s grip.

However with all that said I have had a lovely Christmas and expect no less of the New Year. So with the words of Taylor Swift I will just have “to shake it off” and get my lazy butt into gear – after I’ve enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and a hot shower that is!

 

decorating the tree

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childhood home, christmas, christmas tree, decorations, friends, gifts, presents

Christmas Eve is only a few days away so I decided it was finally time to decorate the tree. I bought my tree at the weekend and I have to admit it is not the prettiest. But since I was limited with funds and space I really had the one choice. So I decided to pick the runt of the tree litter and just hope my decorations can distract from its oddness.

So, yesterday (after leaving the tree to stand for a day) I finally decorated it and I have to say it isn’t looking too bad – although I am wondering how green it will be on Christmas as it is shedding needles like there’s no tomorrow.

But since I will be leaving for Germany to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in Berlin I think I may just leave the tree up until I leave. That way I won’t come home to just a pile of needles and empty branches.

For now the tree stands pride of place and the gifts under the tree are waiting to be distributed over the next few days. And I am really looking forward to meeting up with friends and getting into the Christmas spirit. Sadly the temperatures aren’t really christmassy so no white Christmas in sight this year and I will just have to hope that Germany may deliver a sprinkling of snow.

a parcel of books

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books, Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, christmas, parcel of books, reading, Rick O'Shea, Rick O'Shea's Book Club, Sara Baume, spill simmer falter wither, spill simmer falter wither by Sara Baume, Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year Book Selection, winning

A few weeks ago – nearly a month now – I entered a competition, and as luck would have it I even won. It was run by the wonderful Rick O’Shea  from RTE and his Book Club in conjunction with the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards, so the prize was a parcel of books and it arrived yesterday in the post.

It was such a lovely surprise and I had no idea what the selection would be –  there were different categories and each winner of each category got a different one. I won the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year, so all the books in the parcel are from new Irish writers, and what a wonderful selection it is.

spill simmer falter wither by Sara Baume won the prize in the end, but I have heard lots of good about all the other nominees. And an added bonus – I haven’t read  a single one of them yet.

So, by the looks of it that is my Christmas sorted, hours dipping in and out of foreign worlds in front of the fire looking up at the tree sounds like the perfect way to spend this Christmas Season.

Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year Book Selection

Christmas markets and packing parcels

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christmas, Christmas Shopping, Dublin, Ireland, mulled wine, photography, photos, shopping

‘Tis the season to be jolly, go out and spend money too! And I did this in the best way possible, with a good friend at a few Christmas markets.

It was a miserable start to the third of Advent, grey skies and rain forcing the sun to disappear. But my C. and I decided to brave the weather and head out to the IFSC ‘I Believe’ Christmas anyway. After cups of coffee, some mulled wine and yummy twisted chips (yes, the Irish have figured out a new, delicious way to eat potatoes) we found a few last gifts for friends and the rain even stopped.

Then we headed out to the Point and the Dublin Flea Christmas Cracker Market and I am so glad we did. Not only were there more stalls than we could visit but the atmosphere was wonderful and I found a few cheap and unusual bits and bobs.

Happy, I walked home, my bag swinging at my side. On the way I bought some turf and as soon as I got home I lit afire and began wrapping my parcels and gifts. Now I have a basket full of little ‘somethings’ for friends and a few parcels ready to send to family. It truly was the perfect way to spend a pre-Christmas Sunday!

parcels ready for the postman

a bag full of gifts for friends

a package in the post

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busy, christmas, packing parcels, parcels, photography, photos, things to do, unwrapping

Christmas is less than two weeks away and I still have so much left to do. I still have a few parcels to pack and a few things to make and a lot of cookies to bake – and don’t get me started on Christmas cards.

However this morning my first Christmas parcel arrived all the way from Germany. A friend seems to have been more organised than I have and this morning the postman delivered a brown package to my doorstep.  Now the parcel is the living room, lying in wait and taunting me.

But I will be good and not unwrap until the big day has arrived – no matter how much i wanted to know what is hidden beneath the wrapping. After all delayed gratification is the best and I don’t want to deny myself the joy of unwrapping a gift on Christmas day.

Don’t open before the 24th – it is a German parcel after all

deadlines and Christmas cheer

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Act like a Lady Think like a Man, christmas, deadlines, decorations, masters, Nikolaus, photography, photos, sweets, writing

With some of my college assignments due by tomorrow and Christmas less than three weeks away I feel a little bit stressed at the moment. But instead of giving in to the pressure I decided it was time to give in to Christmas cheer instead.

With this in mind I decided it was finally time to unpacked some of my Christmas decorations, christmasfy my home and enjoyed unwrapping a Nikolaus surprise from my mum listening to Christmas music..

And I have to admit that writing came easier surrounded by decorations and candlelight. The only problem is that while time is still moving on and my word count has become stagnant, my inspiration has waned.  So now, as I sit next to angels and Santa Clauses, I can’t help but still feel the stress, after all my deadline is fast approaching.

Willing to try nearly anything I think it is time to blow out my advent candles and make a wish – one that will wake um my muse and slow down the minutes as they tick by.

a beautiful new skate to add to my Christmas tree shoe decoration collection

my Adventskranz with two candles lit to countdown the Sundays until Christmas eve

some Christmas treats to help pass the time

window decoration to brighten up the view

bags of wood

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bags of wood, christmas, fire, fire place, home, knitting, open fire, photography, photos, turf, winter, wood

It’s that time of year again when the evenings grow cold and there no better place than sitting in front of the fire in a big cosy armchair. The only problem with that is that to have a nice fire you need wood , coal and/or turf.

Living so close to the city center may have many advantages, but finding reasonably priced fuel for the fire isn’t one of them. So when I arrived back on my bike this afternoon I was equally surprised and delighted to see a big truck unloading a huge bag of wood outside my neighbours door. Not one to miss an opportunity I asked the lovely gentleman to unload a few smaller bags into my tiny back yard – the big one was just too much for me to store – and now I’ll have wood for a good week or so.

With quite a lot of writing still left to do today I have to admit that I am now looking forward to my evening spent beside the open fire, knitting socks and enjoying the wintry smell of burning turf – and who knows I may treat myself to a glass of wine!

stacked outside

waiting by the fire place, the best combination for any open fire: wood and turf

 

 

procastinatingly packing pre-Christmas parcels

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assignments, christmas, Christmas FM, Christmas season, college, german Christmas, Nikolaus, packing parcels, presents, procrastinating, wrapping gifts

I should be writing a few assignments for college, I should be grading a few papers for work, I should be working on my novel and shorts stories, I should be ticking off my to-do list, I even should be having a shower – but instead I have spent the morning packing pre-Christmas parcels.

But since today is the first of Advent, and yes I have lit the first candle and indulged in some Christmas Stollen for breakfast, I have to admit I don’t even feel bad about falling behind in all of my ‘shoulds’. I put on Christmas FM, the perfect christmassy radio station, and decided that the perfect way to start this Christmas season was to make sure my nieces and nephews get a little something for Nikolaus (in Germany children polish their shoes/boots and leave them out for Nikolaus on the night from the 5th to the 6th of December in the hope that St Nikolaus will come and fill them with goodies). 

So, I wrote a few cards, wrapped a few gifts all while still in my pjs and snuggled up in my new Merino woolen poncho (a birthday gift) and allowed Advent to begin. I love this time of year: wrapping gifts, writing cards, decorating my home, sitting in front of the fire while watching tacky Christmas movies and doing all those other wonderful traditions I have accumulated over the years.

Now all I have to do is drop of my pre-Chritsmas parcels at the post office tomorrow morning and enjoy the next four weeks of HoHoHo-ing and jolly Christmas cheer. But before then, I will jump into the shower and deal with all of my ‘shoulds’, after all I have successfully completed my pre-Christmas parcel packing and have to stop procrastinating for today.

all wrapped up