Discarded American Christmas trees line sidewalks mere days after the festive occasion. A sadness swells in my heart when I see them, abandoned to a mulching fate.
The Twelve Days of Christmas:
Christmas Day in Ireland marks the beginning of festivities, not the end. I miss post-Christmas Irish get-togethers, throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Bottles of whiskey, boxes of chocolates, or tins of cookies are toted around to each port of call, because you can't go anywhere "with one arm as long as the other."
Boxes of Chocolates:
I always laugh at Irish tins of cookies called 'USA biscuits.' Not one cookie in this lovely assortment resembles any cookie variety in the good old USA.
I always remember hoping our Christmas visitors might bring Milk Tray chocolates in their distinctive purple box, fearing the arrival of an inevitable box of Black Magic.
I often wonder how many homes each box of Black Magic gets passed on to in Ireland, before someone finally says "Thank God for dark chocolate."
Selection boxes were another favorite treat, often delivered by the man himself, Santy or Santa Claus.
And Christmas Crackers for a little fun at dinner on Christmas Day - another wonderful memory.
Image Credit
Nostalgia for Christmas in Ireland:
Unscheduled afternoon cups of tea with mince pies and chocolate biscuits shared between neighbors, friends and relatives, foster connection and memories. Chats in pubs weave stories and emotions together, creating the legacy of Christmases long gone.
The last time I spent Christmas in Ireland was nineteen years ago, when my husband and I married on January 2nd. Christmas in America is wonderful, but when I see the first abandoned tree a few days after Christmas I get a little nostalgic, longing for another Irish Christmas. Some year when my kids are a little older, I will trade our annual summer pilgrimage for a winter retreat, and savor the joys of an Irish Christmas once again, when festive days seem to dawdle by.
And so each year, my Christmas tree stands sentinel in the corner until January 7th. No matter how long I spend living in America, I cannot throw our tree out the week after Christmas. I grow superstitious when my husband suggests taking our decorations down early.
My mother always says it is bad luck for the coming year, to remove holly or the crib, before Christmas is officially over. And so, my poor wise men wait patiently on a separate shelf before being granted admittance to the crib on January 6th.
When I am old and gray, insisting my children do not touch my decorations until January 7th, they will probably just roll their eyes to heaven.
Their spouses will probably ask:
"What's up with your crazy mother?"
They will probably reply:
"She's just a mad, old, Irish woman - you'll never understand."
They probably will be right. I'll be a crazy, old, Irish American grandma, filled with memories of lingering Irish Christmases.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Here are some more of my Irish Christmas recipes and ramblings:
Wren Day - And Irish Christmas Tradition
- Sewing Spool Christmas Tree Ornament Craft
- Tissue Paper Christmas Tree Cone Craft
- Cardboard Tube Paper Plate Christmas Wreath
- Stirrings by Máire Malone - An Irish Poem for Christmas
- Irish Christmas Traditions
- Brighten Your Christmas With DIY Homemade Candles
- Fill Your Life With Merry DIY Santas
- Fifteen Sparkly Fun DIY Glitter Ornaments for Christmas
Grammy
Oh you're Irish Christmas's sound lovely! If we lived closer I would bring you dark chocolate....
Irish American Mom
Grammy - Dark chocolate is supposed to be good for the heart, but I just can't get used to it. I'll have to stick to red wine instead for my heart!
Kathleen Devine
You are so right about how quickly people want Christmas to end! Decs should def stay up until after the 6th. We always take them down on the first day back to school, although sad to day even in Ireland its all getting a bit more rushed. You are also right about all the tins of biscuts,although i do love seeing a tin of Victoria biscuts appear! So keep your Christmas spirit going for another week!!
Irish American Mom
Kathleen - Hope you all have a lovely New Year celebration. Happy munching on a few Victoria biscuits.
Colleen
My Mom is from Ireland and we always loved those tins of Irish biscuits - my favorites are the Kimberleys. Those old tins now hold any number of things around the house - thread, photos etc!
We always made the "summer pilgrimage" but one year we went at Christmas because my uncle got married in January and it was magical!
Have a great New Year!
Irish American Mom
I still have some biscuit tins I use for storing my Christmas decorations. They really are handy. I never liked Kimberley's as a child, but now when I go home I can't get enough of them. They are lovely with a cup of tea.
So glad you found my site. Hope you can visit again.
Happy New Year, Colleen.
Kay G.
Hey!
We keep everything up for the full 12 days of Christmas too! Visit my blog for a close up look at some English biscuits made by Cadbury's!
Hope you have wonderful 2012!
Irish American Mom
I just cannot bring myself to take my decorations down before the true end of Christmas. My mouth is still watering after checking out your great picture of Cadbury's biscuits. Happy New Year.
Julie
I'm with you on leaving the tree up into January! I was always too stubborn to take it down so soon after Christmas, but after reading this post I now am armed with a good excuse for leaving it up. 🙂
Irish American Mom
Julie - So glad to know I am not the only one with my tree still up. Saturday morning I'll pack it all up for another year. Wishing you a happy New Year, and thanks for stopping by my blog.
JJT
Since our first Christmas in our house a dozen years ago, my wife and I have always thought it odd how quickly people get their trees to the curb after Christmas!
We stubbornly keep ours up, but the downside with being the last kids on the block to have a tree waiting to be picked up has been that it is usually after the town collectors have made their special Christmas tree pickup.
So then the tree has to wait for the next regular yard waste pickup, which inevitably is scheduled right after a nice big snowstorm that buries the tree. I'm sure that each time everything thaws and our tree peeks out again the neighbors start wondering about the crazy Tierneys and their lingering Christmas tree.
Irish American Mom
So happy to know I am not the only Irish American with my tree still up. Hopefully your tree gets picked up before St. Patrick's Day this year. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Niamh
When my husband and I got married in Jan, 2004, a whole crew of American family and friends came to Ireland to participate in the festivities. They were amazed at how long the celebration of Christmas goes on. It was like the whole country was part of the party. It made for a wonderful time. There is something magical about walking up Grafton Street with the Christmas Decorations still up. St Stephen's Green shopping center looks picture perfect.
On another note I miss my mam's ham. I never thought I would say that, as a child growing up in Ireland ham dinner wasn't my favourite. Don't get me wrong ham here is wonderful, but there is nothing like my mam's Christmas ham.
By the way great seeing you today. Love the blog!
Irish American Mom
Niamh - We got married in January also. All my American relatives and friends loved their Irish Christmas that year, but it was 19 years ago. I make ham for Christmas dinner here, but it never tastes the same as an Irish ham. I think ham is cured slightly differently in Ireland. Happy New Year and thanks for checking out my ramblings.
Sue Meidenbauer
As a child we had magical Christmas'. When we went to bed on Christmas Eve there was no tree, just a few decorations. In the morning we awoke to a wonderful tree with a train going around underneath. Our stockings where filled and presents under the tree. With 7 in the family it like so much! It was just amazing! How my parents did it I don't know...except done with love. Excitement filled the house. Our tree never came down until after the 6th of Jan. I now live in the south, the tree goes up Thanksgiving day and comes down Christmas night or the day after. I still put the tree up a day or two before Christmas and down after the 6th. I also am Irish. Great Grandfather Coleman came from County Cork. Visited Ireland and it felt like I had come home.
Irish American Mom
Sue - Your family's Christmas traditions are very Irish, even if it is a few generations since they arrived in America from Ireland. It's lovely to know you have such wonderful childhood Christmas memories. It's amazing how you say that when you visited Ireland you felt as if you had come home. Many Irish Americans have shared that feeling of home coming with me over the past few years since I started blogging. Thanks so much for checking out my website, and for joining in our Irish American discussion.
All the best,
Mairéad