Happy Women's Christmas everyone!
A group of us usually go for dinner tonight and have a few drinks after. This year we had to cancel because most of the group are sick.
However, instead I'm going to have a nice long bath, make my favourite dinner and planning on watching a good film with the stove lighting.
Will you do anything today to mark it?
If you don't usually, I'd highly recommend doing even something small to mark the day.
These days can be dreary and blue so a great excuse to do something nice for yourself.
Love this, always tried to celebrate the 6th, it’s like a last treat yourself day before Christmas is officially over. I’m up earlier than I need to be for work so going to get my favourite coffee and a chocolate croissant 🥐 Happy Women’s Christmas, have a lovely day!
Ooh that sounds nice!!! Good for you, we all deserve something nice today. Sometimes even a small thing like that can make such a difference to the day. I'm going to make a concerted effort this year to do more nice things for myself and what better day to start than today!
We’ve never marked it, but what a glorious evening you have planned for yourself! It’s made me realise I rarely set aside days for myself like that anymore, when I was living alone I used to always have little treat nights. Need to fix that. Enjoy it!
No better time than the present! Sounds like you are overdue some me time!
Someone posted on r/casualireland the other day about self-care especially throughout January and it had loads of great suggestions.
A few of us are heading out for dinner for Nollaig na mBan. It'll be a treat to let someone else do the cooking. We use it as a day to catch up with each other, have the chats, a bite to eat and maybe a beverage or two!
I'm jealous! It is really such a great way to catch up. I find the older we get the harder it is to catch up with people. Today ihad always been the perfect excuse!
As much as it sucks we had to postpone this year, it definitely beats being sick like the majority of my group!
I've never done anything for it. I've been indulging for nearly three weeks, I don't really need to be treating myself by January 6th 🤣😂😅
Haha I hear you. Ive been a slave to chocolate the last few weeks and it's weird because it's the one treat I could normally take or leave. I'm blaming the hormones!
but doesn't have to be food or drink. Starting a new book you've been meaning to for ages, a new tv show or carving out time today for yourself for a nice walk even at lunchtime. Basically whatever floats your boat.
Gwan! You deserve it!!
Not sure if it's just me, but Nollaig Na mBan was something my mam did with my aunts. It feels a bit dated.
That's interesting. I think growing up we never looked at it too deeply and just saw it as an excuse to go out when we got to late teens/early 20s.
We've kept it going because it's nice to look forward to it when these days are often so dreary and theres usually a lull after Christmas and nys.
Another thing that probaby motivated us to get together, is that in my friend group largely had jobs in healthcare or the service industry so it was always hard to find a night that suited us all. Thats changed a. Lot now and the group has changed too but it's still something I make an effort for an look forward to each year. My partner would have also only experienced it through her mother and aunts but since we met she always looks forward to it now also.
For me anyway I wouldn't say we celebrate it in the historical traditional sense. But it's definitely become a big tradition that we've molded to suit us. I definitely try and do as many things as I can to help keep the mood up this time of year and for me that's one of them.
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I saw a post from a historian recently and the women's aspect we hear now on social media was never really a part of it most places. Something like 2% of the country celebrated it as women's Christmas and the other 98% was little christmas where the women still did all the work.
Yeah I’ve only ever vaguely heard of ‘Little Christmas’, which I assumed was the day some people designated to take down all their Christmas decorations. Not sure also why I’m being downvoted for asking a question, the concept of it sounds quite archaic anyway and steeped in gendered trad roles from the past.
I realise now why I’ve never heard of it.
Traditionally it was something celebrated all over Ireland but it died out a bit over the years in a lot of urban areas. Though I do have friends in Dublin who have always held up the tradition but conversely like yourself I remember being in college and people not having ever heard of it!
We've always celebrated it down here in rural cork, in my social group and family anyway.
It's definitely had a resurgence though again all over in recent years. I think social media might have helped a bit with spreading awareness of the tradition.
Also grew up in rural cork and it was always at least recognised and mentioned even if no big fuss was made about it
It was alright but it’s become popular all over the country in the last 10 years or so.