The Share Crib is visited by many locals and visitors to Cork city every year. At the blessing of the crib last year were the then-Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Joe Kavanagh and Lady Mayoress Stephanie Kavanagh with Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross. Photo: Gerard McCarthy

Cork will make this Christmas count

Town’s hopping. There are buskers and carollers at every corner and smells of mulled wine and hot chocolate fill the air. You’re frozen to the bone and you’ve been up and down Pana six times but you don’t mind that, because it’s Christmas time in Cork city!

There’s something so nice about walking in out of the frigid winter air, in under the heaters above the shop doors, that blast of warmth and a friendly smile from a fellow shopper going the other way. You don’t get that online.

You can’t linger there long though because, like everyone else, you have important Christmas business to attend to.

You’ve to sort the turkey, the mince pies, the Christmas crackers, the presents, the alcohol, the chocolate, and all with enough time to get home, change, and be back in town in time for the panto later that evening. You’ll never make it . . . oh yes you will!

And what pantos are on this year you might ask? Well, the Opera House has a very special show lined up this Christmas with Leeside’s favourite panto star Nanny Nellie joining up with Princess Jasmine, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Snow White in ‘Nanny Nellie’s Adventures in Pantoland’, running from 10 December to 9 January.

Meanwhile, The Everyman is putting on its own big Christmas panto again this year with family favourite ‘Aladdin’. The show is in association with CADA Performing Arts Academy and runs from 8 December to 15 January.

We are still waiting to see exactly what shape the Glow Festival will take this year but you can be fairly certain there will be something exciting happening on the Grand Parade, and don’t be surprised to see the dazzling lights of a very familiar Ferris wheel!

Also, Christmas is a time for giving so keep an eye out for SHARE collectors this Christmas (they’re not hard to spot!). As always, there will be a SHARE crib in the city centre, with cribs also planned for Shandon and Nano Nagle Place collecting much needed funds for the elderly.

It’s always worth looking outside the city centre around Christmas time too. There’s loads going on in places like Ballincollig, Blarney and Glanmire in the way of festivities and local shopping. You’d never know what you might find, and you might even do a little less queuing too!

Christmas is always a special time on Leeside but this year it feels even more special, so let’s shop local, look out for one another and get stuck in, because this one’s going to be good!