Christmas Things that are uniquely Irish

Loughc

I'm sure we've done this before but I can't find it on the forum, assuming the search function is the reason why I can't find it but even if we did do it, it was many years ago and I can't remember any of the responses.

What items do we have or do at Christmas that are uniquely Irish?

DvB

Warm ham sambos on Christmas eve!

pigtail33

Tins of Kimberly, Mikado and Coconut Creams! I'm not sure if coconut creams still exist, but I'm fairly sure those biscuits can only be bought here.

Jim_Hodge

Nollaig na mBan

8th December traditions

The wren boys

The Christmas eve candle in the window

St Stephen's day

The Late Late Toy Show

Hanging Holly over the front door.

SuperBowserWorld

Christmas lights up outside a house on 26th January.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162267#Comment_120162267

Pics?

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162480#Comment_120162480

I don't have pics but agree with the post. There are several houses around here still bedecked with Christmas lights - they aren't lit however.

matchthis

Toy show and TK red lemonade

Loughc

ChristmasFM

Rte Guide

Guinness and Penny’s Christmas tv ads

Are a few other uniquely Irish things at Christmas too.

Leg End Reject

I saw this on the home page and can't believe I'm posting in the Christmas forum in January (😂) but I think the living crib and making a wish stirring the Christmas pudding are? Possibly Lemon's Season's Greetings sweets too?

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162861#Comment_120162861

Welcome! And good shouts there!

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162963#Comment_120162963

And right back at ya with the Ireland's Own Christmas special. 😁

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163006#Comment_120163006

You’re on fire!

ooh what the cork publication that comes out is it the Holly Borough?

Leg End Reject

Bought every Christmas in primary school and never read. 🤣🤣

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163013#Comment_120163013

Sounds vaguely familiar. @Sephiroth_dude might be able to help.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163031#Comment_120163031

That's a corker! I had forgotten about it even though I saw my grandchildren with it only a month ago.

Count Dracula

Screwing old flames, or other emigrates, who are home to see their families and fancy some late night festive orgasmic relief with someone they enjoy?

It helps to compensate for the guilt and self-hate they invariably endure, after their overindulgent whims of greed have let their bodies swell by over half a stone or more, whilst gorging on cut price luxury chocolates, 3000 calorie Christmas dinners, gout inducing semi tepid finger nibbles randomly strewn across crass frozen food platters often offered at midday social gatherings, which invariably lead to mild levels of stomach ache or other gastric anomaly's coupled with the cold sweats accompanying such endemic dietary debauchery prevalent around the festive celebrations.

Only another 332 sleeps mortals... help is available?

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162480#Comment_120162480

Not putting up pics. But lights are on, they are white lights draped around the eaves and look nice to be honest.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163031#Comment_120163031

& still going strong, our two get them every year in school. To be fair they both read them too, doesnt take long mind.

DvB

How could we forget this!!

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120162861#Comment_120162861

I think we share the Christmas pudding tradition with the Brits...

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Stir-Up-Sunday/

Some of the other traditions here are local variations of Brit ones eg Christmas Radio Times -> Christmas RTE Guide.

TRS30

Fair play guys, some great stuff here. We Irish have some great Christmas traditions.

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163776#Comment_120163776

Try get a copy of that now - they are like hens teeth!

odyssey06

Mixing up Boxing Day \ Stephens Day \ mentally mapping them the same in our heads ... though maybe that's a factor of watching too much BBC Christmas programming and Match of the Day:)

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164316#Comment_120164316

Tell me about it. I was chasing a copy for years & finally got the last one in an online store someone in here kindly recommended. I know of others still chasing copies of it.

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164344#Comment_120164344

It is the best Christmas book imo! My cousin lives abroad and she is the same, can't get her hands on a copy...found it on Amazon a few years ago at over £100! She didn't want it that much lol

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164469#Comment_120164469

Must check back & see if I can find the online shop that I got it in.

Remember seeing it on Amazon and it was over €300 at one stage... likewise didn't want a copy that much!!

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163031#Comment_120163031

You forget there are three levels, Sugradh, Siamsa and Spraoi (not necessarily in that other) 😂

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164316#Comment_120164316

Not Christmas per se however a very Irish saying!

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163013#Comment_120163013

Close, Holly Bough

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164537#Comment_120164537

That's the name!

odyssey06

Not sure how proud we feel about this one but...

12 pubs of Christmas seems to be an Irish thing, in inception at least.

It may have spread by now.

Like the plague.

https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/heres-play-12-pubs-christmas-irish-tradition-bizarre-rules-plenty-booze-175246

freshpopcorn

All members of the family hugging the ham before it goes onto boil!

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165954#Comment_120165954

Really???

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165956#Comment_120165956

Unfortunately not.

I suppose its an idea.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120165956#Comment_120165956

Yeah I was getting worried there for a second

Nothing surprises me now

As someone mentioned, collecting Holly. We used to put it above pictures. Also ensuring we went with Christmas wreath to lay on our loved ones' graves, I still do this every Christmas. A tin of USA biscuits and the Lemons sweets I remember, probably did untold damage to my teeth!! 🙂

Scribbler100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120164526#Comment_120164526

Wasn't there a Sonas as well? Or am I making that up?

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120166532#Comment_120166532

Yep. 4 of them, one for each 2 year school group - JI/SI, 1st/2nd....

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120166914#Comment_120166914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120166532#Comment_120166532

Forgot that totally!

Posy

What a great thread. 🙂

Hugging the ham- @freshpopcorn you crack me up. 😂

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120163829#Comment_120163829

Very late by Irish standards to only make the pudding on the Sunday before advent. Around here they're made around Halloween.

Jude13

The Christmas robin, a kind of elf on the shelf to report back to Santa

Cork Lass

Don't forget about the spiced beef, massive Cork tradition and delicious to boot.

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179271#Comment_120179271

Popular up there too (in our house anyway!)

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179550#Comment_120179550

I'd never heard of it until now.

Posy

I was disappointed with my spiced beef this year, maybe I overcooked it, or maybe it just wasn't a very good one- it was very dry and tasteless.

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179762#Comment_120179762

You'll have to come to Cork next Christmas and get a decent one 😂.

TRS30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179762#Comment_120179762

Was defentialy a bad one, bad workman and all that 🤣

Posy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120180537#Comment_120180537

I think I'll have to. 😁

BK5

A tradition still going strong in my home town is Santy in the local hotel.

I think it is the local women's group in the town that organise it, a local man does Santy and you pay at the door of the ballroom and the kids q up and meet Santy, tell them what they want and they get a reasonable enough present. It's been going since I was a kid anyway and it went ahead again one of the Sunday's before Christmas last year. A great social event as the parents who are there now remember when there parents brought them.

Did this go on in anyone else's town?