3 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Dublin | Student Blog from Ireland

3 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Dublin

It’s Christmas in Dublin and my time abroad is officially coming to an end! It’s crazy to think I have been here for three months. Although I will be sad to leave, I am incredibly thankful for the experiences I’ve had and people I have met here. Dublin is beautiful during the Christmas season and although the traditions are different it still feels like home.

1. Go to the Christmas Tree Lighting

The final Christmas lighting was on November 27th and by then the streets of Dublin were decked in Christmas lights and festive decorations. So, with Starbucks in hand, we moseyed down to the Christmas tree lighting.

Families were dressed in their Christmas sweaters and a live band was playing Christmas music on a loop. It was a grand time. In Portland, they have a Christmas Tree Lighting but I have never been so it was an exciting experience. Also, celebrating Christmas in Dublin with this tradition makes up for the Christmas traditions I’m missing at home.

2. Celebrate with Friends at “the 12 Pubs of Christmas”

Another Christmas in Dublin tradition that’s aimed more at college students is the 12 pubs of Christmas, a lowkey Christmasy student hang-out organized by a student society at Dublin City University. I had never heard of anything like it at my home university, but it’s a grand time with friends to relax during busy finals season.

And the best part? The cheesy Christmas sweaters we were all wearing.

It’s great to take a break from all the final essays and spend some time chilling with friends and decompressing. The pub culture in Ireland is so different from the States (definitely friendship > drinking volume) and I will miss it.

3. Watching The Late Late Toy Show

The last Christmas tradition that I got to be a part of in Dublin was The Late Late Toy Show (<-Must watch clip).  It’s a hilariously adorable Christmas program that people of all ages watch. And Irish parents watch with their kids to help determine what Christmas presents to buy for them.  

It’s a live show and the stage contains hundreds of toys and children that get to “test run” (aka play with) these toys. The best part of the show are the unpredictable things the tots say. You can’t help but smile when watching the show, as well as the jokes the host makes for adults. 

The Christmas Spirit is undeniable in Dublin and I am so incredibly lucky that I’ve gotten to experience it.

Interested in heading to Dublin soon, whether you’ll be celebrating Christmas there or not? Check out our semester and intern programs in Dublin.