if there's a will, there's a christmas decoration

Last Christmas was tough, I just lost the festive spirit. However this year I think it was restored to some extent, I was evening working from the 25th-27th and not a bother.

I think it's mainly because of my niece. Last year she just crawled around not doing much, this year she says 'Ho ho!', at the sight of Santa and gets all excited when the Christmas tree lights go on. Not only that but the Christmas shopping, getting to see the lights on people's houses and most importantly, the decorations.

Yes Christmas tree decorations are my favourite thing about Christmas, I just adore them. I dressed the tree this year, I was in awe with how beautiful my tree was. I would actually prefer to watch the tree than a film, it puts my mind at ease. I make it my duty that decorations are bought for the tree every year, one year I even got Christmas decorations for my mam's Christmas present. The above picture is not justifiable in comparison to the decorations that tangle gracefully on my tree.

You may laugh, but my tree is amazing. I have (and this is no lie) asked for the decorations to put in my mam's will. My sister has objected such a thing, the following only stresses how much these glowing objects are to me. She doesn't think its quite fair that I get ALL the decorations. I wouldn't mind but she's getting all her jewellery. She has developed a plan that the decorations should be divided, that one person picks five, then the other picks their five and so on until there is no decoration to spare.

However, this will never be the case. I will bring it to the courts if I have to, family or no family, these Christmas decorations are mine.

when a good song is ruined

When I ever think of my Friday's evening as a child, The Late Late Show always comes to mind. From Gay Byrne to the chair that became bigger than the show, to the annual Christmas toy show. I was always asleep by ten resting my head on my mam and would wake up in my room come morning. However one song would always would wake me from my sleep. That song was,'The Town I loved so Well'. Since Phil Coulter was a regular on the show, it was more than once that I've being woken by the song.

By the end of the song my mam would always have a tear in her eye. This puzzled me. Although I was aware that there was sadness in his tone, I always thought it was because he was sad. Sad that he was from the town he loved so much because this darn interview on The Late Late Show had to happen. My mam told me that I once said, "Sure he can go home tomorrow and everything will be better." Eventually I realized what it was all about which made me appreciated the song more and it was always one of my all time Irish favourites.



Recently the song has lost its impact, it lost its warmth! Ever since I found out that Dan White played this song on repeat while committing suicide as a shout out to his Irish heritage, it has just ruined everything I loved about it! The important message that lay in the song has now been eclipsed by the fact that this was the murdering homophobics last song played before he died. I can barely listen to it now, sad really but there you go.

Sometimes it takes more than a cover or over-playing to ruin a song, just as I've learned.