You spend hundreds of euros preparing for it. You then spend days complaining about how badly you want it to be over and done with. But at the end of it all, Christmas Day is probably one of the most magical days of the year.
Of course there will be things that will inevitably go wrong. It’s never perfect for one reason or another. There will always be people who you wish were there and things you’ll wish you had cooked better.
But for many it is a day about family and one that’s filled with joy. Here are 10 of the best things about December 25th…
Spending time with the family
It is one of the few occasions when the whole family gets together – it along with weddings and funerals. Of course it shouldn’t be like that but life does get in the way. On Christmas Day though, we all tend to make an extra special effort to put time aside for the ones we love, hence the reason we enjoy it so much.
Seeing your nearest and dearest open their gifts
If you’re like us, you like giving presents more than receiving them. Nothing beats the reaction of someone who loves their gift. And we’re not talking expensive things or grand gestures. More often than not, it’s the little things that mean the most to us.
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The turkey
From the minute it goes into the oven, turkey is the gift that keeps on giving. It fills the house with such an aroma that we start drooling hours before the damn thing will be ready. Then comes the eating part which is almost (not quite just) as good as the anticipation of it. Of course, we never can really say that for certain, we always gobble it down WAY too quickly.
The potatoes
Whether you go for mash, roast, garlic, boiled, sautéed… or all of the above – the potatoes are, and excuse us for sounding incredibly Irish, probably the best thing on the plate. A Christmas dinner without the good old potato is like a Christmas table without crackers.
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The food in general
It’d be unfair to mention the turkey and the potatoes without giving a shout-out to the rest of the items that make up the infamous festive meal – the stuffing (SO GOOD!), the vegetables and the gravy. And that’s not to mention the desserts. Actually, we’re starting to think we should have put food at the top of our list. Forget about the nearest and dearest! (We’re joking of course).
Eating whatever you want without feeling guilty
… that is until you try to get off the sofa and realise that you’re struggling a bit. And then there’s the St Stephen’s Day guilt, which disappears surprisingly quickly when dinner time comes around again. After that, it would just be wrong not to tuck into that tin of Roses.
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The distraction
Being a parent is incredibly enjoyable but it can also be incredibly stressful. It is less so on Christmas Day. Not only are the kids distracted by their toys and the great television on offer but they’re also so wrecked by the end of the day that bedtime tends to be a little easier than usual. Note: we said a little easier.
The booze
Wine, wine and more wine. Did we mention the wine? The wine before the turkey, the wine with the turkey, the wine after the turkey, the wine after we’ve said we’ve had enough and are too full from the turkey. Aah, we love wine.
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The television
When it comes to television, they really do save the best until last. The listings at this time of year are full of hit movies, festive specials and great shows. Better still, there is always an open box of Roses or Heroes nearby, making your viewing extra special.
The fact that it’s all over for another year
As much as we enjoyed the day, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a tad bit pleased that we can hang up the Santa hats for another year. Yes it was lovely but if it really was Christmas every day, it would be nowhere near as special.
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