Hell-iday Season has begun

Christmas is coming! I can tell from the tacky tinsel wreaths on sale for e7.99 at the corner grocery. I can tell because "The Afternoon Show" on RTE 3 has been taste-testing Christmas puddings, champagnes and wines, turkeys, salads, and cheeses; they've modelled holiday clothing for the office party, and for the New Year's Eve out with your mates; and, of course, they've discussed the meaning of Bono's contribution to Band Aid 20 on every single episode. I can tell because I have Christmas cookie ornaments hanging in my windows. Yes, Christmas cookie ornaments.

Po' Bastard has baked every Christmas since 2000. Each year, Po' Bastard's roll-out cookies have failed to roll out, and Po' Bastard is stuck modeling a large lump of sugar-cookie or gingerbread dough into something edible and festive-looking. Christmas snake, anyone? But this year, the Baby Jesus smiled down into Po' Bastard's mixing bowl, and the roll-out cookies did actually roll out. They are strung with silver and red ribbon, from my windows, the curtain rods, and the kitchen cabinets. And because Po' Bastard believes in the spirit of Christmas, she anonymously hung one ornament on each of her neighbor's doors. That was earlier today, and they've since disappeared-- Po' Bastard believes they've been eaten. For not only did the roll-out cookies roll out, they also tasted pretty good.

So far, the highlight of the holiday season has been the Carols by Candlelight concert I attended last week. It was a fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul, and for a small donation of e3.00, I helped myself to a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine, and settled in to hear a variety of student groups perform holiday songs. The Most Amusing Award goes to the group of Japanese students who giggled in unison before they began to sing "Jingle Bells." Who I most wanted to kiss under the misteltoe definitely had to be TradSoc: a threesome, a girl on piano (she really doesn't matter in this case), a skinny-legged shaggy-haired fiddler, and oh, heart-of-hearts, a red haired accordion player. They played a series of jigs and reels that had the audience a-clappin' and a-stompin' in their seats.

Apart from the fact that the radio plays the same five Christmas songs over and over, I'm quite glad to be in Dublin over the holidays. The Irish really do seem to grasp the "true" spirit, and are quite keen to spread it.

Tidings of (Southern) Comfort and Joy!