A Robin, a smile, new windows at Listowel Garda Station and the Christmas parcel from America remembered

A Kerry robin in a Christmassy setting photographed by Chris Grayson

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This Spike Milligan poem is doing the rounds on Twitter.

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A Card and a Caption from the National Library's Collection

Nat Library Ireland‏ @NLIreland  59m59 minutes ago

An example of a 1918 Christmas card An example of a 1918 Christmas card for you today, issued by the Royal Army Medical Corps, [Great] Northern Central Hospital, for a Christmas social evening. The front of the card reads "Keep Smiling in Ardus Fidelus"- some sound advice!”. you today, issued by the Royal Army Medical Corps, [Great] Northern Central Hospital, for a Christmas so

<<<<<<cial evening. The front of the card reads "Keep Smiling in Ardus Fidelus"- some sound advice!”.

Listowel Garda Station, Christmas 2017

Notice the lovely new windows in the same style as the old ones to fit in with Listowel Garda Station's status as a heritage building.

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Christmas in Rural Ireland in the 1950s.......The parcel from America

from Jim Costelloe's  Asdee  A Rural Miscellany

I remember when the first sign of the festive season was when the letter from my Aunt Nell in New York arrived with the news that she was posting a “package” to us. The parcel was being sent by “ordinary mail” and would take about 6 weeks to arrive. It was being posted on the same day as the letter which was sent by airmail. When the package arrived there was great excitement as we waited patiently to see what each one had got. The label read “old clothes” and the ritual of opening the parcel kept us in suspense as himself very carefully opened the knots in the twine, so that none of it would be wasted.

He had a habit of keeping everything that might come in useful so the twine was carefully made into a ball and put in his waistcoat pocket. The brown paper which wrapped the parcel was folded and put away before we might see what was in the package. We all got some items of clothing. These were duly allocated by my mother. Some articles were rejected because they were not suitable for wear here and people would know they were American. The anticipation of what would be in that parcel was the start of the excitement of Christmas in my youth.

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Meanwhile in Germany 

Philomena Moriarty Kuhn now lives far from her native Listowel. One of the differences this loyal follower of Listowel Connection will experience this year is a white Christmas.

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Slán Tamall

I'm signing off for 2017. I'll take a short break to recharge the batteries. 
See you back here in 2018, le cúnamh Dé