Nowhere does Christmas quite like Ireland. Just ask the New York Times, where Bewley's on Grafton Street was described as like "walking into a Christmas card".
To really capture the special and unique aspects of the festive season here, though, there's nobody better than someone who has spent a while away.
In a straight talking but clearly emotional post, Redditor thexton eloquently describes the feeling of preparing to leave for Australia again after a Christmas break at home for the first time in three years.
"I just can't do a hot Christmas, my brain fails to process a Christmas tree when I'm standing next to it in shorts and slapping on some factor 50," thexton says. "I just wanted to wish all the best to anyone else leaving this beautiful (yeah I said it lads) country again soon. I'm writing this on a fantastic frosty morning and I'd love nothing more than to cancel my flight and just wrap up well and go walk the dog.
"You really don't appreciate this mad feckin country until you leave it. So if you do, hug your mammies well, stock up on the Barry's, and try to enjoy your last few days here as much as possible because there really is no place like here," the post adds.
You can read thexton's full post here.
