Dear Gentle reader,
I broke a precedent... I had a cup of Irish tea! (Crowd gasps ooh) I know I know But to be frank it was my second cup of a hot beverage of the morning followed by a another of my famous coffee. Well it was cold out and the dogs needed walking and after raining for two days in a row with me on the end of the leash that gets splashed. You know how kids and dogs will walk right through a puddle of water when they could just as easily have walked around (which meant that I could not be outdone and had my feet wet clear up to where my socks end). Which was just below my knees! By the end of the walk my once new socks were down around my ankles and Marti just laughed and said "I knew you were a kid at heart but you make a six year old look like an old man"!
Well Gentle Reader, that has all changed I will return with some cakes and some good Irish tea the next time you visit. Have you bought your Christmas gifts yet? No? Neither have I! Well We both Herself and me wish you a very Merry Christmas! Here is a wee bit of the customs in Ireland.
Many homes in Ireland still today will show a lighted candle, or perhaps today equivalent, and much safer, electric lights, in the window of their home on Christmas Eve. This stems from the custom that to show a light in the window lighted the way of a stranger out after dark. It goes back to most ancient times, when the laws of hospitality were stronger and not abused. To have a light in your window on Christmas Eve to welcome the stranger meant that you were welcoming the Holy Family too. To have no light meant that you shared the guilt of the Innkeeper at Bethlehem who said, "No Room"!
In many rural areas of Ireland still today the custom of whitewashing the outhouses and stores prevails. At One time, it was the whole farm, inside and out. The women would scrub and polish everything til it shone, and the men would take a bucket of whitewash, or limewash, and purify everything in honour of the coming of the Christchild.
This custom goes back long before christianity or even celtic civilisation. It was a purifying ceremony from the most ancient of times, the ancient Mesopotamians, 4000BC would cleanse their homes, sweep the streets even, in an attempt to assist their god in his battle against the powers of chaos. And in Central European lore, it was believed that the deity, Frigg, would check all the threshholds of each house to make sure they were swept clean. The links are so tightly intertwined, it becomes difficult to seperate one belief from another, Christmas is like a Tapestry, tightly and colourfully woven. It is almost impossible to find a thread and trace it to its beginning in the picture. From this ancient custom comes the modern traditions of putting up fresh curtains, a special Christmas Bedcover, cushions and table linens etc.
Early Christmas morning is the time when children discover what Santa Claus has brought - they will have submitted their 'wish list' on an earlier visit to see the man himself at a local store.
Family gifts are exchanged on Christmas morning in most families, though a few wait until after dinner. Most people will attend a church service on Christmas morning, if they have not already been to midnight mass the previous night.
Once the turkey is in the oven, those family members not directly involved in its progress use the extended cooking time to call to friends, relatives and neighbours to deliver gifts and share a drink or two. Then it is home and time for the big meal. This is eaten in the late afternoon or evening. There is more about Christmas dinner in our article about Christmas food.
After dinner most people simply flop in front of the fire and the television, to watch the inevitable seasonal movies, reruns and Christmas specials, too full and too exhausted to do anything more energetic!
St Stephen's Day
The day after Christmas day is also a holiday in Ireland, and in some places is celebrated with just as much vigour! The Wren Boys will be out in many places, calling to the door for money, with whole families dressing up and joining in the fun. Other families will head to a horse racing event, visit family or friends or just get out into the country for a long walk.
Few shops open on St Stephen's day, though some of the larger stores start their sales and are crowded with bargain hunters.
Well, Gentle Reader,
That about wraps it up for now until next time,
We ale sending our prayers out to all of you from:
Denis & Marti 
and (FIDS) fur and feather critters
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