Christmas in Ireland

The best thing about Christmas in Ireland is that it never seems to end.  :)  If you think of the beginning of Christmas in terms of when the shops start stocking the ingredients for the famous Irish Christmas pudding, then it could be seen as early as mid-October.  The largest toy store extends its hours to be open daily until 11pm starting November 1st.  (One close friend of mine exclaimed--"11pm everynight?!!?  Is that really necessary?"  Meanwhile, having been used to my local Fred Meyer being open everyday until 11pm, and reeling from typical Irish stores closing most days at 6pm, 9pm on Thursdays and Fridays, I joked back to her, "11pm?!?!?  That's downright American!")  :)

When Alan was growing up, it was also a time of Open Houses.  Not in the modern, let's-invite-people-over-for-a-party sense, but  in the keep some treats at the ready, the front door light on, and welcome visitors who pop in for a visit at any time.   But mostly, it's a tradition of going around to everyone in the family, taking turns who hosts.

That that ritual of visiting family for days on end hasn't changed.  And this is when it's really great to have so many family so nearby.  Christmas day we spent with David, Mary and their family.  St. Stephen's Day (the Irish version of Boxing Day), we were with Alan's aunt Emily.  On New Year's Eve we all met at Joseph and Kathleen's house.

This post is more about the notable differences I saw about celebrating Christmas in Ireland.  It's maybe best told through photos...

 This is a Nativity Creche.  But what makes it unique is that this Creche is in the mall.  

You can barely see the coins that people toss in as donations for the upkeep of the religious installation.  

 This photo is more about what's on the plate:  mince pies and Christmas crackers.  

Mince pies are made of chopped, candied fruit spiced sauce.  

In fact, I Googled mince pies, and here's Wikipedia's description:  

A mince pie, also known as minced pie, is a small British sweet pie traditionally served during the Christmas season. Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

The early mince pie was known by several names, including mutton pie, shrid pie and Christmas pie. Typically its ingredients were a mixture of minced meat, suet, a range of fruits, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Served around Christmas, the savoury Christmas pie (as it became known) was associated with supposed Catholic "idolatry" and during the English Civil War was frowned on by the Puritan authorities. Nevertheless, the tradition of eating Christmas pies in December continued through to the Victorian era, although by then its recipe had become sweeter and its size reduced markedly from the large oblong shape once observed. Today the mince pie remains a popular seasonal treat enjoyed by many across the United Kingdom.

I'm not sure what the Irish would think of being included in the United Kingdom there at the end of this write-up, but for the most part, I trust this interpretation of the mince pie.  If you read the details on Wikipedia, you'll learn that these days there's no meat in the mince meat anymore.  

The Christmas Cracker as Told By Photos:

 These are a really fun tradition.  We had some extra crackers, so we were just having fun over dessert one night.  Again, here the details about crackers from Wikipedia:

Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Commonwealthcountries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of acardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun). One chemical used for the friction strip is silver fulminate^[1], which is highly unstable.

Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. In one version of the cracker tradition, the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. In another each person will have their own cracker and will keep its contents regardless of whose end they were in. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat or crown; a small toy, small plastic model or other trinket and a motto, a joke, a riddle or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.^[2]

 Toy Advent Calendars

OK, that box that Connor is opening on Christmas morning is actually an Advent Calendar.  A LEGO advent calendar.  A Star Wars LEGO advent calendar.  How cool is that?!!?!?  And why can't we get them in the States?!    Each day, you could punch open a window into a compartment that held a Star Wars mini kit.   Awesome!  

I think Santa thought it was a good Christmas morning present, since Advent is more about waiting for Jesus' birth and His birth story.  ;)

The Pantomime

The Panto, as it's nicknamed, is another fabulously family-friendly tradition.  It's a highly interactive form of family theater, with tricks and gags that are so common, they create a comfortably predictable script.  Imagine how fun that is for kids!  From one year to the next, they know the jokes coming up,
"No we don't"  

-"Oh yes you do!" 

"Oh no, we don't" 

-"Oh yes, you do!"

We went to see to Robinson Crusoe and his Carribean Pirates (they were careful with the title) at the  historical Gaeity Theater near St. Stephen's Green in downtown Dublin.  It was a gorgeous theater!  

I had so much fun!  I didn't have to worry about Ronan crying, Connor could throw a "rock" to knock out the bad guy, and the show started nice and early at 6:30pm!  For sure, if we lived here, we'd be doing that every year.  Oh-we do! 

So yes, we've booked our tickets for this year.  :)

But this time, we're going to a different historic theater for a different show.  This time, we're going to the Olympia to see Jedward!!!  I forget the name of their show this year.  The Olympia booked them for a three-year contract of Pantos, and this will be their last one.  Jedward apparently has a show in London now.  I hope that's going well for them.  I love Jedward.  (I even bought a Jedward poster to bring back to Portland!)  If you can't remember who Jedward is, click HERE to re-read my post about them in the Eurovision song contest in May 2011.)

So that's it.  My favorite Irish Christmas traditions.  Oh wait!  There's one more.  

But I'll have to keep that one to myself for a little while--there's gotta be at least one new thing for our Christmas 2012 blog post.  :)