Christmas in Mullaghmeen

After an unbelievable few days in Lapland we headed back to Mullaghmeen via Gatwick for Christmas. Easyjet get a lot of stick from people but one of their awesome pilots invited the girls into the cockpit as we were getting off the plan in Belfast, which was a thrill for them and for us as well.

Getting home on Xmas Eve meant that things were going to be a little hectic as we waited for our new best mate Santa to arrive. But after a few hours we got our little ladies into their jammies and we left out the drinks and snacks for Santa and his reindeer and got ready for Xmas Day.

We had a lovely chilled Xmas Day with everyone and an amazing, massive feed for Xmas dinner - Xmas in Mullaghmeen is so different to at home but something about it being cold and wintery just makes it feel really different, maybe more stereotypically christmassy I dont know but its always an amazing day full of food, drinks, family and good times no matter which side of the world we spend it on.

Having my birthday on Boxing Day means its always a pretty low key affair, but I always manage to get spoiled and treated by Joan and the girls which was lovely, nothing particularly memorable about turning 48 in itself, but the girls and I had a great afternoon out and about exploring some playgrounds and lakeside jettys before the cold got the better of us and we retreated. Joan and I managed a couple of delicious pints in Charlies that night which was awesome. Another successful birthday in the books.

The rest of the trip was made up of a bus trip up to Ravenhill to see Enniskillen win the Junior Cup, followed by a night in a "fancy" hotel with the girls, our little tradition whenever I'm home, and another amazing visit to SHB Hair and Beauty in Clogher with Scarlett and Frankie for some daddy daughter pampering.

New Years Eve holds a special place in Joan's heart at the house and we spent a lovely chilled one with Amy, Linda, Joan and the girls drinking Aperol and watching Jools Holland, as is tradition in the Beatty house.

Not long after that I was back on the big bird and heading back to site via Jeddah for another 6 week stint before getting back to see everyone in February for half term.

These shorter, more frequent visits since Joan and the girls have been in Ireland are a game changer and make being here so much easier and more manageable.Read more