Top ten reasons to spend Christmas in Ireland in 2011

Christmas day swim, holiday atmosphere and a quiet festive season

The coming weeks and approaching festivities signals a favorite time of the year for many. As Christmas mania sweeps across the world, people are reminded of just why they love and indeed hate the holiday season.

As the clock counts down to he big day, we have come up with our top reasons to spend Christmas in Ireland.

It doesn’t matter if you're on vacation, visiting relatives or going home to your Mammy, there are few places that rival Ireland during the holiday period.

Christmas Day - everything is closed

Pubs and all other businesses are generally closed on Christmas day in Ireland, although many exceptions exist especially in cities.

Although some people like to moan about the fact that they are restricted to their own homes, for many others it is a great opportunity to chill out with the family or take a walk to the neighbors for an after-dinner sherry.

St. Stephens Day - the fun and banter that only happens once a year

Annually St. Stephens Day is one of the busiest days in Ireland's pubs and restaurants and sees many people venture out after getting their fill of family time on Christmas day.

With the holiday season in tow, many people are home from far and near, making it the best day to catch up with old friends and new acquaintances.

Christmas pudding - nothing like your Mothers annual baking

Of course we all love to indulge in the finest home cooked treats on Christmas day. An over-stuffed turkey, lashings of gravy and some honey roasted ham. Food in Ireland at Christmas is a fantastic reason to venture to Emerald Isle.

The biggest treat for many is a slice of delicious Christmas pudding, a traditional Irish speciality enjoyed by many during the holiday season.

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Christmas Day Mass - for some, the one and only church outing of the year

While the Catholic Church in Ireland has witnessed declining numbers attending religious services in recent years. Christmas Day Mass remains a sacred tradition with many people in Ireland with many families filling pews of churches around Ireland. It is also an important tradition to visit the altar after mass is over to see the baby Jesus in his crib.

The twelve pubs of Christmas

Typically Irish we would have to add alcohol appreciate into the festivities. Ireland's answer to the twelve days of Christmas, the twelve pubs of Christmas sees revellers across the island visit twelve pubs in their locality in any one night.

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Nster.com