Christmas Preparations xx: Cork City Edition

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you! 

I'm writing from my own desk in the good old DMV once again, eating a candy cane and loving the holidays. As I think I've mentioned before, Cork has been decorated since November 1st, so I suppose that means I'm a little late in posting about Christmas prep. Normally, I'd be anti-early-Christmas-prep, but being in a foreign country for the holiday has a funny way of making one a little homesick, and the only cure is a little Christmas. Hence, I joined the many thousands in merry Christmas making throughout November to the dismay of more than a few friends around me. But what can I say? We could always do with more Christmas, if it does mean finally displaying my own insanity.

How to Prepare for Christmas, step-by-step:
1) Run the Run in the Dark 5K with your housemate and enjoy the lights of the Christmassy city of Cork at night. Do not care that it is only November 13th...

2) Find Starbucks red cups at any cost.

God bless UCC's Coffee Dock

3) Decorate, including but not limited to:

Buying a chocolate advent calendar. Use it to countdown to your flight home rather than Christmas Eve. Home is much more important. 

Putting up stockings and a tree (utterly essential).

The stockings and stocking holders were my Christmas gifts to M and K.

Finding some Christmassy treats to bring home.

Special edition Barry's Tea from Cork: Santa's Tea.

4) Enjoy the first frost of the season and your last days in the Christmassy city with some mulled wine and walks around the Christmas fair.

Happy Christmas North Main Street. Celebrating last day of classes with a few pints.

Carousal at the Christmas fair on Grand Parade.

A few Christmas tunes

The English Market glowing in the dark.

Once all of these steps have been completed, you will be all set to pack up all those Christmas presents you so carefully wrapped (pack enough clothes for padding in the suitcase; you don't want all of your hard work to be for naught!), and catch a flight to Amurica.

I'm so excited to be home. Ireland is lovely, and I'm so happy living there; but Virginia has some charms that Ireland could never reproduce, especially at Christmas x