And so that was christmas.

Well, here we are again then, and it's all over bar the shouting. The mad shop days are behind us and the cards managed to get so far as the postbox this year (triumph).
The tree really is a non-shed example and the kids haven't torn every hair out of each others head. There was no turkey, we decided on Gormet, no pudding, we had one of my creative desserts and no fighting over who had to pull the cracker with who.

Sometimes it just has to be done. Without the slightest compunction we stepped into a new world where there were no rules, no laws and no tratitious ties to bind us, and we won. And full of all the hope we won from this relaxing, bizzar event we can look forward to enjoying anew next years christmas with all the trimmings. Too little of so much makes you see how little it all really is. AMEN.

'slip jig.

"Here Mister, dja have horslips?" "see yis, I told ye that's why he's got a 'tash!
"Gerup owa dat ye cheeky young wan!"
"Aw gwan, wil ye play the lips fer me?"
"Yi've lovely lips, doesn't he have lovely lips lads!?!!!!
"Gwan den".
"Tanks!"
I'm three years older than The Horslips first album but they were a part of my
growing up.

Like all the good Yesterdays they bring to mind I remember flingin' around like a
right eejit while they were beltin'it out over the dance floor.

Not in Dublin mind.
In Dublin I went to school and waded through the days 'til we could go to Wexford.
The discos of my younger days were in the middle of the graveyard in the - since
then left to decay parish hall.
In the holidays even the young ones were allowed to go to the discos if they did
all the washing up for their big brothers for a few days or went to the shop for
them or did something else for them which they didn't want to do like go for the
two pints of milk - fresh from the cow - mmmmmnnnnnnnnnna- in the mornin' 'cos they
could tell ye to 'cos they knew ye wanted to go to the disco so bad.

Whatever ye got up to that day was cut short so you could get back and have yer
shower before the water went cold.Ye had to be early too, otherwise the hair
wouldn't be dry in time.

After gobblin'down the burnt chop and the watery potatoes - Ma wasn't the best of
cooks, a thumb lick over yer face a look in the eye "behave yourself up there",
"Yeah", "Keep yer eye on her" says me Da. And then we're off up the road.
The brother see the lads and we say "see ye".
I go on me HOW I YIS!? walkabouts and DI NI NI NI NI di NInININI......
Dearg Doom....and we're off. The crackin' tunes are magic and keeps all on the
floor for the night. The last 'lips of the night is TROUBLE my anthem and right in
the middle I'm going with so much gusto I put me foot through , the already cracked
floor board.The bigger lads manage to get me leg free after breaking another floor-
board as well.Da was picking us up and had to send the brother in to look for me.
"Where in the Hell we you" asks me Da.

"Aw, I got stuck on the dance floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"