Dinner at Michelle's was great. Although he was worried as to how his skill compared with his mother's, Anthony cooked the turkey and the potatoes to perfection and we had some salad and bread to go along with it (Maleaha, ever the black sheep, ate leftover chinese food. Does sweet-and-sour pork count as traditional Christmas dinner?). Dinner went to the sounds of the Tragically Hip and was finished off with irish coffee. We hung out, drank and ate chocolate for most of the night. After a while, Maleaha and I went for a walk to let the turkey/pork settle. By evening, all the stores and pubs had closed down and the streets of Dublin were empty - 180 degrees from only a few hours ago, when one would have to get a lift and surf the crowds over the streets. We swung by Anthony's house, where his roommates were watching "Love Actually". I'm always a sucker for sappy holiday movies. CHRISTMAS DAY
We all woke up early (9:30, anyone?), put on our Sunday best and went to the local pro-cathedral (seriously, it was a ten-minute walk) for Christmas mass. Not only was it one of the most beautiful houses of worship I have ever been in, but this mass was conducted by the Cardinal himself! The giant choir, string quartet and organist finished the celebration with a chorus of "Alleluia!", to our enjoyment.
We spent the rest of the day making grilled cheese sandwiches, watching movies and that's about it. Just an enjoyable day of rest, like any lazy Sunday. We didn't even exchange presents until the early evening, simply because it seemed so secondary to us enjoying our day. Church, relaxation, lack of materialism. Could it be that we had an "ideal" Christmas? Nah, otherwise I wouldn't have bought a phonecard to call my whole family up as they were having dinner! We agreed that this would be the last one they celebrate while I'm half a world away.
This year's Christmas celebrations were quite a bit different compared to anything else I've ever done. It was the first time that I'd not been at home, opening presents and eating breakfast, going to church with mom and then gathering with the family for more presents and a massive dinner. I knew that to not kill myself over the holidays, I'd need to 1) be somewhere cold, 2) be with good friends and 3) be with Maleaha. It looks like I got all three of my wishes this year. And I couldn't be much happier.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment