Thankful Thursday (Christmas Day)

My own Credit from my Instagram

Merry Christmas Everyone :)

I hope ye all got what you asked for, whether presents, family or even food. I myself asked for cranberry sauce, strange yeah, but it makes Christmas for me.

The picture above is of my friends in London, from my course, in our festive jumpers for our Christmas Party.

I might as well tell you all about my Christmas Day.

I woke up around 9am, and got all dressed up for mass. In our family we don't open presents until we're all together after Church. I was lucky enough to be singing in one of the most popular choirs around where I live. It was so beautiful having such music in the church. Even my Mum took part in the choir with me. I loved seeing all of the neighbors and friends. Receiving hugs and 'welcome home Michaela'. Usually for me the Church is the highlight of the day for me. I love to see eveyrone about in high spirits.

After Mass, me and my family went to visit my Grannys grave. I was upset for most of the day, because sadly it just didn't feel like Christmas without her.

After breakfast we all sat around in the sitting room, everyone taking turns opening their presents. I wasn't expecting anything this year, I was just excited to see the look on my brothers face when he opened his gift (a new Sony J Experia). He was trying to hide his smile, telling everyone to 'STOP LOOKING AT ME!'

I myself got a 'Soap & Glory' Collectable Christmas Box from my Godmother. I wasn't that surprised, because she always gets me a gift I love. My Mum got me 3 handbags (designer of course, because that's all she knows), a vest top from Oasis, a canturbury tracksuit. And my brother surprisingly got me some little things, a box of truffles and a CD album of Broadway songs (he knows me so well). He has ordered me something else online, but I won't know for a few days, so something else to look forward to.

My Dad claimed that I got him the best pressies, the first and second Star Trek movies and a Star Trek t-shirt and an album of The Police. I thought it was funny, because my Mum got him, as all wives do... socks. However, she did get him Beckham aftershave and a nice jumper, so her presents weren't that bad.

The day then just consisted of my cousin opening her presents that we had bought for her, saying hello to our grand-aunts, phone calling family in Manchester, wishing them Happy Christmas and eating a whole tin of roses while watching Harry Potter.

Thankful Thursday

- Being able to have family around to be there for you.

- The open fire. It's such a welcome when I'm home here in Ireland for the Christmas.

- When I came out at the airport in Dublin, and saw my parents standing their looking excited, well I can say that I had my little 'Love Actually' moment. That's all anyone wants for Christmas, is to have people around that love them.

- Christmas movies. Such as 'The Holiday', 'Santa Clause', 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Harry Potter' and my favourite 'While you were Sleeping'.

-Peace and quiet. No arguments, no silliness. And let's not forget being able to sleep with no traffic outside.

All of these are my own, no steeling heehee :) 

My Soap & Glory set (which my Mum wants to steel), new little kitten called Lucky Maria (she is so cute. I love carrying her everywhere) and then there is my cousin and I attempting to hide eachothers faces in a little Irish pub (There's so much love in that picture, Haa)

I do hope everyone had a quiet or loud, whatever ye prefer, Christmas. And that it was filled with turkey & ham, Roses or Celebrations, Tea or Hot Coco, Friends and family.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year. I do hope to put up a post on New Year Resolutions, so keep in touch bloggers :)

Love you all lots and lots xx

Thankful Thursday

Merry Christmas loveies :)

Back home in Ireland we would be putting up our tree on the 8th of December. Always a lovely thing to look forward to.

This week was such a lovely week for feeling grateful, for friends, family and the comfort of a lovely hot water bottle and painkillers.... what?

Thankful Thursday

1) Lunch with friends... yummy Strawberry pancakes with ice-cream. It was in a way like a British version of Ihop. After, me and my friends raced to the College. Everyone coming in panting and complaining of not resting their stomachs.

2) The last of the Autumn leaves leaving us. I will be sad to say goodbye to their warm, loving colours.

3) Winter issue of 'Oh Comely' (for the journey to Ireland, along with mentos.)

4) Weekend getaway to Ireland, where I spent the 3 days with my Mum, Dad, and brother Aran.

5) Cinema trip with Dad and my brother. We went to see my favourite book series, 'Catching Fire'.

Everyone has favourites so far, 'Twliight', 'Percy Jackson', 'Mortal Instruments', etc and I found mine last year. I experienced the exciting feeling of my favourite book series with 'Harry Potter' at the age of 8 and from that age, every year until the final book, I was afraid I would never come across such wonderful characters again. But I did. Last year I found 'The Hunger Games Series' and I was thrilled. The movie did the book justice in my opinion. There were parts missing, but that's to be expected. Can I just say I'm thankful for Peeta, Haa :) Love him.

6) Me and my family went to see the lights being switched on in our local town, in County Roscommon. It wasn't much, but the sense of community and festive feeling was in the open air. I got to meet a few old Secondary school teachers and got to catch up with them, in funnily enough a pub.

7) Doing the reading at my Grandads 12th Anniversary Mass. I was 8 when he passed away. I remember everything about him, but at that age loosing a loved one is different. We look at our parents and pity them. So every year on his Anniversary I say the readings, a little way of showing my thanks to God that he was in my life, even for that short length of time.

8) I got a Christmas pressie from my brother, 'Singing in the Rain'. He says he doesn't like them type of movies but he was laughing away, pretending to be asleep.

9) Watching my favourite Sam Bailey on X-factor. She is amazing. She has the voice, the beauty, and the driven determination, all with her loving family behind her. If I were in her position I couldn't imagine anything more unbelievable.

10) Discussing favourite movies with my friend Lauren. I'm so grateful to be able to laugh over funny scenes of 'Toy Story' and sqweel over rom-coms like 'The Wedding Date'. "Wasn't that just the perfect song..."

This week was wonderful. Even with getting seriously sick on Saturday till yesterday I was happy to get a breath of fresh air in Ireland. Yep, I got on a plane so I could just head over to Ireland for a breath of fresh air, Haa!

Love ye guys, x

Jolly Christmas Tag

Hello Christmas Lovers :)

Credit: 'Pinterest'

We are now in the Jolly Season of Christmas (just so ye know heehee)

And I wanted to really do this tag, simply because... I LOVE CHRISTMAS :)

I saw how Aimee did this tag last week (I've been in Ireland and have been so sick, so haven't had time) so please do a have at her blog. I love how she's so open with her followers. I respect her so much for it.

Me and my family go all out with Christmas, the lights, the decoration, the family day trip to Dublin for shopping and the cinema... this year we've decided that we'll be seeing the next Hobbit movie. All of us but Mum are fans. So Christmas this year will be more special to me because I live now in the UK, and I'm away from my family. This Christmas there will be lots of hugs and laughs in the family.

So the Jolly x-mas tag:

1) What's your favourite Christmas Song?

My favourite Christmas song is 'Fairytale of New York' by the Pogues. Reason being is because I feel a sense of pride hearing the traditional music and heavy Irish accents in the vocals and lyrics. I love to hear it at night in the car, singing away, being happy that it's Christmas.

2) What is your favourite Holiday Drink?

My favourite holiday drink, hmm... well, that's hard because I love hot chocolate and coffee with dollops of cream, however I have hot coco all year round; it's only at Christmas that me and my Mum have our tradition with coffee and cream. Like ye should look in our fridge, there is a HUGE bowl of cream, waiting to be attacked.

3) What is your favourite Christmas treat?

Credit from Pinterest

Mince Pies guys. The love of my life. It's funny cos they do taste strange, but that was me and coffee at first, I was all, "Eugh" but now I'm a caffeine addict. And another great bonus about mince pies is that cream can be added on top... CREEEEEAM :)

4) What is on the top of your Christmas list this year?
Well, I have nothing particular in mind so what I would like this year is surprises. I love surprises. So this year I hope to just get little things that I don't know that I'm getting. My Mum and brother are utter rubbish at surprises, like just last week I got a Christmas present from them... a bit too early guys! And my brother thought it wasn't a big deal, that's why he gave it early! But I loved it... "Singing in the Rain", I'm a lover of old classics.

5) Are you doing anything extra special Christmas?

Well, since I'm living in London, I get to see the lovely lights and decorations. Recently I saw the lights and beautiful window displays in London, favourites were on Bond St. at Selfridges... it was amazing. Plus I got to step foot in the Louis Vutons elevator which was opened the day before. I was terrified when it started spinning in circles, heehee. And before Christmas Edel is coming over for a few days, so we'll get to look around London together (she's so excited, so I'm happy about that.) There'll be shopping for pressies and treats as well... YAY and looking around in Winter Wonderland :) So yeah, that should count as 'something special over x-mas'.
(Apologies about the crappy pictures, I didn't have time uploading mine, so I used these from Pinterest instead.)

6) What is your favourite Christmas Carol?
'Oh Holy Night'. It touches my heart so much. I love 'Silent Night' as well but it would come second place really. I love singing them and hearing them every year in the choir. I go to two masses at Christmas, the one on Christmas Day and the one at midnight. Midnight mass in my hometown in Ireland is just beautiful, with the candles and lighting, and 'Oh Holy Night' just tops it off.

7) What is your favourite Christmas scent?
The smell of pine trees, Christmas Yankee candles and the moment I step foot in the Dining Room, the smell of our Christmas Day meal... delicious.

8) Do you have a stocking stuffer that makes its way back into stockings year after year?
I did at my Grans house, but not in my own. It would be filled with little sweets and little toys. I would be too afraid to have one on my fireplace.

9) Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
This year I don't have any trees, because when there is a loss in a family, one that was very dear, it's tradition for the Irish to not have any Christmas Tree in the house. Over the years we've had real ones but just 2 years ago my Dad decided he had enough taking his anger out on the tree, trying to get it fit into the bucket... Haa! So we usually have 3 trees, heehee, the more the merrier you see.

10) Are you a good gift wrapper?
No. I wish I was. I love seeing pretty gifts wrapped with the bow and everything. I just hate to destroy the wrappings.

Let me know guys what ye love doing at Christmas, where to go etc.

Thanks for reading,