Christmas in Ireland

One of the reasons we decided to travel through Ireland in December is because we enjoy celebrating Christmas in Europe. It brings back so many fond memories of living in Germany (me) and Spain (Aaron). The lights, decorations, outdoor Christmas Markets, holiday treats, traditions….we love it all. It’s been fun seeing how Ireland gets festive. Here are a few snapshots I’ve taken:

Christmas decorations in a cozy Cliftden pub, where we got a bite to eat as the sun was starting to set (at around 4:30 pm).

Santa (and his twin?) climbing up a house…it looks like he’s going to break into the house through the skylight, doesn’t it? We saw this decoration on many a house in Galway, but nowhere else.

Community Christmas Tree in a village near Galway, where we stopped for coffee on our way to the Cliffs of Moher.

Homemade Christmas Mince Pies at the Galway Christmas Market. They were delicious.

Christmas Decorations at our B & B. They were just starting to decorate the day we arrived.

Santa’s head on a Dingle pub.

We saw this many times around Ireland: trees sprouting out of buildings. Some were au natural, others were decorated with “fairy lights.” This building is a community center in Kinsale. They were selling handmade Christmas crafts the day we were there.

We saw signs for Santa’s Grotto everywhere, but I never actually got to see Santa’s Grotto.

Mulled wine and minced pies – two delicious Christmas traditions.

Decorations at a shopping center off Grafton Street in Dublin (which was super crowded on Christmas Eve).

Happy Christmas from Dublin Temple Bar area (just about 7 minutes from where our flat is).

If you celebrate Christmas, what’s going to be your favorite memory of the 2010 holiday? (Mine will be traveling in Ireland, of course!)