Tis The Season

'Tis the Season! I don't know whether it's because I'm making my Christmas stock, or that it's dark and blustery in the evenings but I'm feeling very festive at the moment.

I'm getting very excited about the Christmas jumpers I'm seeing everywhere at the moment. I'll probably buy mine in The Edge at the Milk Market, but if you are handy with a pair of needles you can knit the one above, you can buy the pattern here for less than a fiver! When we went for Christmas drinks last year in Toms my friends John and Dawn turned up wearing seasonal knits and they looked like the most adorable couple ever.

Nothing says Christmas like board games around the fire with a bursting to full tummy while you chomp down more chocolates. I picked up Blockbusters a while ago in a charity shop for only €2. I also got a vintage Scrabble set complete with all 100 tiles for only €3...oh how I love charity shops. I'm not sure if I can convince my family to partake, but I'll have some friends around for nibbles and some wholesome fun soon I think.

After my 6 month detox I've started having a few drinks again, as soon as I felt the cold in the air and the faint smell of Christmas I couldn't resist. I drink Guinness or Beamish, but mostly Beamish as it's far more consistent and has a woodier/nuttier taste to it. My special Christmas treat is to mix port with stout, it's cheaper if you do this at home, but for a rare treat I might get it when I'm out. Mixing in port brings a rounder sweet taste that is like a warm blanket wrapping around you, it's total heaven.