It must be Christmas

The dulcet tones of Shane McGowan singing Fairytale of New York with Kirsty McColl; a poinsettia on the window sill; a distinct aroma of cloves and cinnamon wherever you go; and houses lit up as if they had never heard of climate change; it must be Christmas – I even heard a story of a Canadian banker who bought himself a new BMW!
As everyone knows, Christmas is a time for families and nowhere more so than here in Ireland. We were chatting with a young couple who live nearby and learned that between them they have 17 siblings – all of whom are married and living within a 5 mile radius. Assuming an average of two children per couple (low for this part of the country) this means that the immediate family group including a grandparent or two would need a whole flock of turkeys and a couple of geese in reserve…