He’ll be Here by Midnight

It happened in Rathmore, my home village in the south of Ireland.  It is one of my first memories.  It was Christmas Eve and I was four.  The snow had started to fall.  I was standing near the small door between our small shop and our small kitchen.  I was beside myself with anticipation, hyped to the gills with Santa Claus.  Christy Cremin had just bought his weekly ration of Woodbines.   “Where is he now […]