One more week to Christmas

As a child I used to count off the days still left before school was out and then the days until Christmas Eve.  I loved Christmas Eve. We were on the brink of the festivities. There was the walk to Midnight Mass to look forward to and the Mass itself with all those wonderful Christmas songs. Silent Night is still my favourite. I heard my second favourite yesterday for the first time this year: The Christmas Song.  It gave me a tingly feeling. At the end of the Midnight Mass we went to see and admire the crib. It had a distinctive smell - a mixture of incense, fresh straw and the slightly musty smell of the crib figures taken out of storage for the festivities.  I loved it all and still do!

While writing this, it occurred to me that our sense of smell is very important for recalling memories, as is our hearing - those church bells, that song, the aroma of fresh coffee, gingerbread, all that good stuff.  It brings a smile to our faces.
 I am just back from my walk to the beach and a few joggers passed me by, panting loudly, earplugs in, listening to their music. What a lot they have missed.  I spotted a bullfinch (first one I've seen in ages), I watched three crows quarreling with a cheeky sea-gull (he left in a huff after a lot of protest), a black cormorant flying up-river on some errand of his own, and a black spaniel down by the waves barking at all the sea-gulls who looked down on him in disdain, not to mention the oyster catchers calling to each other. It's a wonderful world and we shouldn't ever forget to savour all it offers.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all my readers!  May the joys of this festive season be with you all!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

A big thank you to my blog readers.  I wish you all a wonderful time with family and friends and everything that's good in the New Year.

I will be spending Christmas with my daughter, son-in-law and my two grandsons and New Year with my son and his wife.  So I don't even have to bid a turkey the time of day!  It will be nice to be spoiled, to watch the glow on the face of my eldest grandchild when he sees the Christmas tree and all the colourfully wrapped presents and to ring in the New Year with sparkling wine at my son and daughter-in-law's house.

As a child I loved Christmas.  We always walked to midnight Mass and I remember how magical the countryside seemed bathed in the light of the stars.  Being Ireland I am sure we had more rain than stars but all I can remember are the frosty nights and the lights on in all the houses across the valley as people got ready for Mass. I loved being allowed to stay up so late!  And then the singing!  My favourite Christmas song of all time is Silent Night.  It was (and still is, no doubt) the closing carol sung at Midnight Mass in Germany and I think it is even more beautiful in its native (German) language.  I will be attending Midnight Mass on Tuesday and I hope my grandson will carry happy memories into the future of a wonderful service with candles and stars and hymns.

Before all that there is the long journey to be absolved - bus, train, bus again then airplane then being collected at the airport.  Snow is not forecast, it is scheduled to be very mild and windy.

I wish each and every one of you a wonderful time.