I hope everybody had a happy, joy filled day that was full of friends, family, good food and plenty of laughs and smiles to go around!! Christmas in Belfast is not much different than it was/is in Texas.
My Christmas actually started on Friday evening with the other Northern Ireland YAV's. Everybody came over to Bathgate and we enjoyed a delicious meal (completely with an abundance of food), all the while laughing, joking and chatting with each other. My housemate and fellow YAV, Ellison, soon called us upstairs (at this point we had been joined by Doug and Elaine) to take part in an Advent circle time, complete with a homemade wreath. It was absolutely beautiful and I felt most at home during and after that time.
Our celebrations carried over to Christmas Eve, when at 7:30am, we all gathered again in our living room to exchange/reveal our Secret Santa gifts. We laughed, ooo-ed and ah-ed over the gifts that were given to each person. It was tons of fun and you could definitely feel the love in the air!!
I spent Christmas day with my supervisor, his family and the extended family. We laughed, talked, enjoyed a great meal, and watched the merriment of new games and toys unfold before us (not to mention the occasional out of the blue comment or saying :)! ). We enjoyed a meal of ham and turkey, roastie potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnip and carrot mash, brussel sprouts, stuffing, and gravy (I think I got everything that was on the table). For dessert, we had a Lemon Cheesecake, Apricot Pecan Cake (all the way from Coriscana, Texas; Thanks Granny!), and fruit salad. Needless to say, after everything was consumed, we were stuffed to the brim!
The next morning, Boxing day, I had been invited to head to my supervisor's parents house to enjoy another meal and participate in some family time. After hellos, introductions, and presents were opened, we started off our meal with a vegetable soup. This was followed shortly by a dinner of Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, roastie potatoes, carrot and parsnip mash, cauliflower, Yorkshire Puddings, and gravy. I was truly stuffed after eating all that excellent food!! After all the food was put away or consumed, a chance to sit back and relax ensued. It was truly hard to stay awake and be sociable after stuffing myself with the delicious food, but some how I prevailed!
Although this year Christmas was hard, with it being my first time away from my family at Christmas, it was a great experience!! I really want to thank the Sweeney's and their families for having me over for Christmas!! I enjoyed every minute of it!
Now, I am getting ready to head to Rome, Italy till the 4th of January with my friend and fellow YAV, Christina. We hope to have tons of fun and take loads of pictures (I have three empty camera cards just for this occasion!! Hope the battery lasts!!). I will tell you guys all about it when I get back.
But for now enjoy the pictures of Christmas time in Northern Ireland!! Thank you so much for your continued support and love throughout this year!! It has been a good year so far and I hope it continues!! Love and miss everybody!!
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| Patrick is just so excited about Chili!! |
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