Happy Christmas

So the day finally arrived.  We waited all year, patiently, and then all of a sudden it had been and almost gone.  I had grand plans for Christmas blog posts and beautiful crafts to adorn my home, not to mention delusions of daily baking like the domestic goddess I aspire to be.  Yet again time slipped away from me and the mundane tasks of every day life took precedence. 

I relish the build up to Christmas, the anticipation, the twinkle of fairy lights and the happy greetings freely exchanged between friends and strangers alike.  I revert to an excitable 3 year old as the season draws near.  Some people frown upon this behaviour from a grown woman, to others it is infectious and helps to inject some excitement and joy for what may lie in store. 

For each of us, bar a few lucky ones, Christmas is a bittersweet time.  Sadness at a an empty place setting at the table, standing alone beneath the mistletoe or any myriad of worries or stress casting a shadow over the day.  These things can be all consuming and appear magnified at such a joyous time.  It is for this reason that I decide each year to throw myself into the festivities with added gusto.  Every inch of the house is adorned in fairy lights of red and white, garlands and baubles hang from every available surface and as a special treat Frank and the gang serenade me daily.  To some this may appear excessive, but this is the one time of year that excess is accepted, encouraged even, so it would be rude to allow the season to pass by unmarked.

This year was no different.  Despite the economic doom and gloom and the inches of snow that attempted to thwart festive shopping I embraced the season in all of it's twinkly glory.  I had the most wonderful day spent with my husband and family.  My 3 year old niece put me under a teensey bit of pressure wandering into the kitchen at intervals of approximately 2 minutes to enquire as to whether her Christmas dinner was ready.  We sat down to a table laden with food, laughed, talked but mostly stuffed our faces.  What else is there to do on Christmas day?

Wherever you were and whoever you are with I hope that you had an equally wonderful day.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a (belated) happy Christmas.  Thank you for reading, following, commenting and baking with me in 2010.  I look forward to blogging my way through 2011 and I sincerely hope that you will join me.

Nollaig Shona Duit,
Le Grá
R x