The Nanny Diaries: Happy Christmas from Killavullen!

My first Irish Christmas ended up very well. I told Gillian that I feel that in an effort to make me feel at home here, I ended up getting spoiled rotten! I woke up Christmas morning to an Irish stocking and my stocking all the way from home!! I of course lost it once I saw my stocking all the way from home. Eoghan says that Santa came here, then went to "Americamp" to get my stocking and bring it back here. Not only did the Fordes and my parents put a lot of thought into my Christmas, but I also received a gift from Nashville, TN (thank you Sielbecks!!!), from Kieran's family, from one of Kieran's sisters, from Gillian's family, and from their good family friends the Larkins. Everyone has been so generous and considerate- always making sure I was managing the day okay.

Eoghan got a "quad bike" (a four wheeler) and a John Deere trailer for Christmas (along with a lot of books, art supplies, etc.). Katie got a stroller, a doll, and a pram. Eoghan was wired all day. He was just on top of the world after having Santa come. Katie was really too young to understand it at all! It was a lot of fun to be around kids who are so excited about Santa. It's been so long since we were that age that I had forgotten how their imaginations run wild.

To top it all off, it was a semi-white Christmas! This morning there was snow (and ICE) and frost on the ground. It was a dangerous trek down to 9 AM Mass, but we thankfully made it safe and sound. Sadly there was no music at Mass- something I'm still trying to get used to. I really missed hearing the Christmas carols, but I've been playing them on my ipod since about October, so I guess I should be sick of them by now anyway! Around noon we headed up to Gillian's dad's house to have light snacks and drinks with her family and the Larkins. Then we headed back home for dinner. Dinner was DELICIOUS. Gillian made "prawns" (shrimp cocktail- thought of you, Mom), mushroom soup, spiced beef (a Cork specialty), honey glazed ham, a turkey, brussel sprouts, two kinds of potatoes (of course!), carrots, the best stuffing I have ever had, and some special kind of peas. I was stuffed to the brim afterwards, but it was all so, so good.

If it wasn't for Sarah, Taylor, David, Courtney, and Bethany coming over in a couple of days, I think Christmas would have been equally as hard for me as Thanksgiving was. Lucky for me though, I'm too excited about them coming to realize how homesick I am for my traditional American Christmas!

Eoghan's carrots for "Rudolph and his friends"- the red blob on the sign is obviously Rudolph's nose