Christmas Q&A - The Trigo-Lyster Family, Rochfortbridge
What are your favourite Christmas film and song?
Our favourite Christmas film is the original Santa Clause The Movie from 1985, starring Dudley Moore. It never ages and is up there with Home Alone 1. Our favourite Christmas song has to be Feliz Navidad as we are a Span-Irish family!
Who cooks Christmas dinner in your house? What’s your favourite part?
It’s prepared and cooked by dad Kevin, who was well trained by his mother Kathleen in earlier years. Turkey, ham and stuffing are not commonly found in Spain, so the main course remains very Irish. Our favourite part of the meal is the main course and the cracking of Christmas crackers and telling each other the worst jokes on the planet.
Do you have any family Christmas traditions?
Our Lyster family tradition would be the meeting of the Lyster cousins, aunts and uncles in better times. It was always a special occasion as it started off as a Lyster family breakfast by our cousins Ray and Marcella, and that would roll over to Vigil Mass in Rochfortbridge with a second gathering and spread of food, cards and sing songs in Auntie Sheila’s. These were certainly good times.
On the Spanish front, we gather every New Year’s Eve at 11pm Irish time, which is midnight Spanish time, where with satellite TV we link up live with Puerto Del Sol on TVE1 in Madrid for the 12 bongs at midnight. For each bong, we eat a grape, 12 in total – the only problem is that you have to keep up with the seconds and chew fast. If someone begins to laugh, it can easily descend into chaos. The magic rule is to wear something red too!
What’s your best Christmas memory?
Our best memories are watching the excitement as our five Children, Alba, Leila, Luca, Marco and Oscar, open their presents from Santa on Christmas morning. It’s carnage too.
How do you spend Christmas afternoon?
We spend Christmas afternoon watching movies like Willy Wonka and Chronicles of Narnia or the latest movies. We play board games and eat more food, then Chocolate, then more trifle and what-not!
Are you organised or Christmas Eve shoppers?
Mam Laura is extremely organised on the shopping front so much so that if you’re not careful you will find yourself being wrapped in Christmas paper!
Laura is hugely talented at making her famous Christmas hampers and is artistic when it comes to Christmas.
It’s definitely a time of year she loves, whereas Kevin could be found around Mullingar looking for the last minute bits!