The greatest gift of all

For me Christmas is the most magical and exciting time of the year. This year it is especially exciting, with Alessia. As I get to do all those wonderful things that you often forget to do or won't do without children.  Like going to see Santa, seeing the Christmas windows, and visiting the moving animal crib and so forth. It's extra special as Alessia is walking and talking and kind of gets that there is something going on. I love everything about it, especially the lights, the music and general festive feeling. 
There are so Many things I'm Looking forward to doing. All of them so simple and innocent. Like going to the turning on of the lights in my home town. Having my family down for Christmas breakfast. Having a drink with friends. Buying Alessia a stocking she can have for years to come. Spending time as a family and having our annual Christmas sing song. All of which cost little but make you feel so Good.

Though it's also a time people can feel overwhelmed and anxious and worried. Are they buying enough do they have enough, I hear lists of toys that children are getting. I understand it's so hard not to indulge and spoil your children. But I think it's such a special time, and getting over the top amount of presents I feel can actually take away from what Christmas is really about.

For me, I hope to teach Alessia how to enjoy the little things. To be in the moment, to have a love for music, walking in the cold all wrapped up, looking at the lights, playing Christmas songs in our kitchen and singing along, making lovely food, enjoying the smells and all the time you get to spend with your family.

If I can teach her how to enjoy the moment, it's a gift she can carry with her, for her whole life. Material possessions are great, but without, learning to appreciate the simple things in life, no amount of material wealth can make her happy. 

Christmas for me is about that feeling I get in my stomach from the end of November till mid January. It stemmed from my childhood. The memories I have of putting up our Christmas tree, we would put our Disney carol video on and get the decorations out. We all decorated it, the lights would always be broken and my grandfather would always come to fix them. Or how every year I would search for the same pair of socks of my mum's to use for my stocking I didn't want anything else this was tradition. Or the trip to my grandparents house to put their tree up, and the Christmas dinner we would have in their house a few days before Christmas.





 I don't remember every toy I got, or how much my parents spend on me, none of that mattered. It was the Christmas spirit they gave me, the love for life, the joy and happiness. So this year for Alessia of course I'll get her something off Santa. So she will have the experience of opening a present, I'm sure this present will not be around in a few years and will be long forgotten. But what I do hope she will remember and what will stay with her is the time I spend with her. Bringing her to the lights, carol services, putting up my parents' tree, and going to see Santa. I want to teach her how to feel Christmas rather than buy it. In hope that this gift will seep into every other part of her life. 

FREEFUN DUBLIN SKERRIES CHRISTMAS