What is it about Christmas that makes people look back and remember times past?
Eamon Kelly and psychologist Maureen Gaffney talk to Seán O'Rourke about Christmas.
For master storyteller (seanchaí) Eamon Kelly recalls growing up in Sliabh Luachra in Kerry where rural electrification had not yet arrived. He has a memory of seeing the house and the surrounding countryside beautifully lit up at the darkest time of the year.
There's a magic about Christmas when you’re a child.
Times were hard, and Eamon Kelly and his seven siblings always looked forward to the postman arriving with parcels from relatives sent from the United States. They always had either goose, chicken or ham for dinner, and apart from the usual children’s squabbles, he never remembers any big rows in the house.
Senior lecturer in Psychology at TCD (Trinity College Dublin) Maureen Gaffney remembers the sense of anticipation around Christmas, and the smells of spices and Christmas puddings being made by her grandmother.
These days there is talk about surviving Christmas, but Maureen Gaffney believes that this is only because society is more open about it than in former years. She maintains that Christmas can be a bittersweet time.
Whatever is wrong with your life, Christmas acts like an x-ray, and it puts its focus right on it.
Christmas is also about wish fulfilment and is a stressful time for many, as people try to recreate what was done for them during the festive period when they were children.
For some a family row can also be part of the season, but for a harmonious atmosphere to prevail Maureen Gaffney advises against everyone being together all of the time.
Aim for semi-detached intimacy this Christmas.
This episode of 'Family Matters’ was broadcast on 23 December 1992. The presenter is Seán O’Rourke.
'Family Matters' was a TV magazine programme for and about families. It was presented by husband and wife team Sean O'Rourke and Caroline Murphy and looked at the changing face of Irish family life. It was broadcast from 1992 to 1995.
