January 7th, 2016 | Uncategorized
This year I got to spend Christmas in Ireland! Staying was an easy decision for me to make because it was an opportunity to see what spending Christmas in another country is like. With that said, I knew I would miss home. But spending time with family here in Ireland was almost as good as home for the holidays. Not only did I have my brother here, but I was able to spend Christmas with my step family. The Gills live in a very small town called Greencastle. Since the town is so small, the community is like one big family themselves and they all celebrate Christmas together! So by saying I spent Christmas with the Gills, I can really say I spent it with practically the entire town.
On Christmas morning my cousin and I walked down the street to her Aunt Pat’s house before most of the neighborhood came over the to the Gills’ later that day. I was welcomed into a small living room and into what was a Christmas morning tradition of drinks at Pats house with the self-proclaimed “Village People” (not the band although YMCA was belted out at some point). Hearing laughter before I even got in the house, I knew it was going to be a good time.
Just like Christmas at home, we had an amazing Christmas dinner and of course something sweet. The only difference I noticed between Christmas here and at home was there was more tea to go around on Christmas day in Ireland. But something completely different that I didn’t expect was a whole other dinner the next day! In Ireland, the day after Christmas is called St. Stephens day or Boxing Day. Unlike in America when you are back to reality the day after Christmas, Boxing Day is a whole other day where you get to eat, relax and spend time with your family. It was a treat to spend another day in Greencastle to rest up before our big Irish road trip.
Shoutout to the Gills for hosting me for a Christmas to remember!
