Xmas 2008

Here are some more recent pictures of the boys. I'm painfully aware that i haven't been posting regularly at all to this page and that every now and then Ma makes the effort to look at it. So here are some of the boys. They have grown up so much. Ghin is quiet and serious - and Oisin is full of mischief and does not know when to stop. Chalk and cheese.








Decorations this year - instead of the dead branches, i used greenery from the school. This was mostly because we didn't have time to either look for branches OR do the wreaths that the greenery was meant for. So on soltice day i said to Oisin, we'll just hang the branches from the wall and decorate them with the old decorations. It worked! And i think we'll replace it with branches over Easter and hang eggs from it then.



The old decorations from last year. We made our own mativity scene to hang from the trees. Can you spot Joseph and one of the wisemen?


Oisin has been put in charge of the hearth and we decorated the place together.


Opening the loot!


This will be Ghin's second Christmas - he was sooooo excited when he saw the Thomas wrapped present - i think he would have been happy with just the box. I said that this business about having multiple presents was unheard of in Singapore. There we all got one thing each. What about Santa, a friend asked me. Santa brought us only one present. And he did. And we did not get Christmas presents from my parents i said because we always went for a holiday at the end of the year and my parents told us that was our Christmas present. How pragmatic are Chinese huh? I also think that it's also because we had Chinese New Year though. See if they didn't push the boat out for that one? The boat was pushed all the way to bloody China for Chinese New Year. Christmas was ok, but because all the eggs weren't put into one basket it was not the be all and end all off all the celebrations.








Daddy with Thomas, our new favourite toy. It's been interesting just having the few presents. What it means is that they actually play with them more, instead of just tossing them to the one side. Also because there are only a few, we speant a bit more on each of them, which means that they will hopefully last a little longer too. One hopes.


Oisin with Bionicles.


And this year we went to Clonnard again. Here Oisin and Ghin return after going up to the altar for the blessing of the toys. Ghin was amazingly good. He sat all through the service watching the priest say mass. Actually the best part was when he arrived at church and we got out at the grand facade of the church and he went Wow! Ooooo! Church! I have never seen a baby so excited about church. See if he doesn't become a monk...










Here's the new year swim at Lough Swilly. It was sort of weird. Despite it being 2008, it felt like an ancient ritual. Men doing things to prove their strength and prowess by throwing themselves into freezing waters. The picture at the end reminds me of one of those 1920s photos, minus the funny bathing suits and hats. It was a timeless, hilarious shot.










It's really cute when Ghin puts on the hat and goes HO-HO-HO!!!



It has come and gone so quickly. Christmas. The build up to it is ridiculous. It starts from September when shopping centres and supermarkets attempt to drop hints about what's the most fashionable thing to do this Christmas - without seeming crass. This year it was revved up by the oncoming recession which has not taken place yet. Neither the high street nor the local stores have suffered any fall in their takings. However large items like cars and houses, things which really should have always been only necessities, have gone back to where they should have been. Of course the children are none the wiser. In an attempt to make Oisin aware of the consumerism that accompanies this time of the year we brought him Christmas shopping with us. I said, there are four things which we need to consider when we buy things Oisin: first, who made it and and how was it made, secondly, where did it come from, thirdly, what is done with the profits and finally, is it value for money? If these things satisfy us, then we buy it. I explained in great detail what each of these points meant, how environments were decimated, how people were exploited, etc, etc. Then we passed by a cheap cheap cheap store and that was that. He saw three pocket watches made in China and decided to get that for his three mates. It was really really really flabbergasting. But you can't argue with a seven year old when it seems as if you are in the middle of a rugby scrum, with added items for danger and variety, such as umbrellas, preambulators and old people. So we got the watches. And that was the end of my think before you buy speech.

We did however not go overboard with the gifts that Santa brings. Oisin remarked on the paucity of his largesse when he finally opened all his presents. How come Santa didn't bring me as many presents this year he asked? I said, you're a big boy now Oisin. However, Ghin also got the same number of presents, however the logic of a seven year old clearly doe not extend beyond his haul.

We spent Christmas Eve at home and then travelled down to Derry for the Christmas dinner. Sean cooked a wonderful meal in a spotless house. I am constantly amazed at how domesticated he is. He also went for a swim this morning in the Swilly as part of the Park Bar's charity fundraiser. When i say swim, i mean they dipped themselves in and then ran out screaming with cold. Well they would have screamed if they could. Then to a slow drive back to Belfast, and Christmas as definitely over by the time we got back. Apart from the return of the XBox with us. I've told Oisin no more than on hour each day and after Christmas it goes back to Derry.

Ghin got a Thomas train that blows bubbles. He LOVES it. It has this Thomas song which is about fifteen seconds long and plays incessantly. Ah the wonder if eletronic toys.

I'm so sorry that this has been so sketchy. It does belie the wonderfully calm weather we've been having. Down at the Swilly today i enjoyed the stillness which contrasted with the Lough's roaring surf. Maybe next year we'll stay a little longer - we'll just chill in Donegal. I do miss the wee house.

It has been blissfully peaceful and almost idyllic. Despite the poorer haul, I think that Oisin's wish for a Happy Christmas has indeed come true.