Christmas = cheese, hot port, and a stroll through town. At the weekend, I took my eight-year-old nephew into Dublin city to soak up the lovely atmosphere.
Living in Bray, he had no memory of Dublin or any other big city. This was also his first trip on the LUAS. We went to lunch, were entertained by buskers and performers on Grafton Street, checked out the Brown Thomas window, and looked around the shops. I let him pick his own Christmas booty, which will be duly wrapped and forgotten about until the big day.
It was much cheaper and better than yet another present from a relative. Despite the recession, and although many kids have gracefully accepted that this year will be far from bounteous, others will still get far too many presents from friends and relatives. Taking them to lunch, bringing them to the Ark in Temple Street, or even to the park, may be a much more meaningful gift.
This long-winded preamble is all by way of recommending something special, especially for the children in your life – Bewley’s on Grafton Street, a part of Dublin’s folklore. Out of fashion during the boom years, a hot drink in this cafe is a special experience over the Christmas stretch. The kid was enthralled by Paddy Campbell’s gorgeous Little Christmas exhibition, which really captures the enchanting, noisy, and slightly deranged spirit of this time of year. It’s far more uplifting than Brown Thomas’s impeccably designed but somewhat cold and soulless window. Bewley’s Little Christmas expo runs until January 6. Check it out.
We rounded off our day by the window with a hot chocolate. The kid is either a great liar or he genuinely enjoyed his first trip to a big smoke. I’m choosing to believe the latter.
Happy Christmas from both Jean and I. We really appreciate the support we’ve had from our readers, friends, families and occasional sponsors this year. A special shout out to our former writer Rercy, who we miss around these parts. Here’s to a great 2011.