It's Christmas!

Well it is, isn't it? Every year we all complain that the shops are stocking Christmas decorations too early, that it's too commercalised, that it's not like it used to be etc. etc. but now that we're into the first week in December is it ok for us to talk about it?

I was looking at RTE's Christmas schedule earlier. Or their Christmas Christmas schedule as they seem to be calling it. Anyway, I can't wait for it all to kick off. Christmas highlights include a Killinaskully Christmas special, Westlife on the Late Late Show, lots of cheapo sports 'end of year' type review shows, Podge and Rodge on New Year's Eve and best of all, the cast of Fair City in some kind of X Factor-style singing competition. It all sound terrible and it all sounds fantastic. I know that when we were kids there was always lots of excitement abut the big Christmas films on tv but RTE can't rely on that stuff anymore. We've all seen the films (this year's premieres include The Life Aquatic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Nemo and Sin City) on DVD already, so RTE have to come up with something else and this year it's Leo Dowling from Fair City singing 'Strangers in he Night' (probably). I've no problem with all this. Besides the good old days weren't really that good were they? Morecambe and Wise? Top of the Pops Christmas special? Bah! The past is gone, the future is Corrigan's Christmas Countdown! Bring it on..

And look at this.
For years, the same lights have gone up on Grafton Street and George's Street but this year, they've got a new man in to shake things up and it all looks fantastic. Better still, the lights are 75% more energy efficient than before. Hurrah!

Last night I went to the cinema to see Strength and Honour, an Irish film about travellers and boxing. It was full of cliches and awful acting. And terrible accents, of course. Lots of American actors with shiny teeth saying things like "C'mon Mikey, sure sometimes we need to go back to where we've been to know where we're going at all, at all. Bejaysus and begod, stick on a pint of the quare stuff" Actually that's a bit unfair - it's pretty bad but it's not that bad. I think there was good intentions behind it but I could have done without Vinny Jones doing his impression of Brad Pitt's impression of Irish travellers from Snatch. I couldn't understand a word he said! Anyway before the film they showed this ad. I know people talk about how Christmassy the Budweiser Clydesdales ad is but this Guinness ad (yes - another guinness ad. This is the last time) really puts me in the mood..



Happy Christmas!