Rua Ruth Christmas loves…

Beautiful wreaths by Appassionata Flowers
Photo by Ruth Griffin on Canon EOS 400D, at the Merrion Square- Christmas on the Square 2014.

I had to do a Christmassy Ruaruth loves, didn’t  I?  Here’s some fun things do, read and create over the Christmas season.

Tim Burton’s new film Big Eyes premieres on the 27th of December. The perfect excuse to venture outside the house. The IFI is the best place in Dublin to see it, book it now here and check out the  trailer.

‘Tis the season to dress like you live in a fairytale I love this Snow White clutch from Olympia Le Tan. A girl can dream.

Theres’s still time to make edible gifts and I am going to try my hand on Rachel Khoo’s Boules de Neige (Coconut Snowballs).

As we reach the shortest day of the year and cosy up in front of our computer screens Joanne Harris of the book Chocolat shares her ideas, on how bedtime stories  teach us how to live, to dream and to listen to one another. Might be one to try out over the Christmas table.

The East Pier in Dun Laoighaire is the perfect place to blow off cobwebs and burn some Christmas cals! Why not drop into the beautiful Fallon & Byrne in the old Victorian tea-rooms in The People’s Park? The serve everything from breakfast to dinner and some delightfully named cocktails are on the menu too from the Elderflower Gimlet to the Pappy Honeysuckle. Bottoms up!

Shelves in bookshops around the city are full to brimming with amazing books on Dublin, here are some favourites I’d love for my little library all available in Dubray Books:

A Portrait of Dublin Maps by Muiris de Buitleir, Come Here to Me, Dublin’s Other History by Sam McGrath, Dublin day by Day by Sean McMahon and Dublin Cinemas by Jim Keenan and Revolutionary Wives by Sinead McCoole.

It’s winter solstice today and to celebrate the beauty of winter I give you Dr Zhivago’s ice-palace scene.