Cavan Calling: We almost had a holly crisis this Christmas. When we put up the tree on Christmas Eve each year I also like to decorate the house with holly and trails of ivy.

Previously, my friend Jean (who lives near Manchester), with her abundantly fruited holly bush, has been a reliable source. The situation was saved by the National Trust in the shape of Emma who works at Castle Coole in Co Fermanagh. The Saturday before Christmas, Tony, my son Sam and I went to a Christmas concert held in Castle Coole.

I quickly noticed there was an abundance of holly decorating the room. To the chagrin of Tony and Sam, who are both easily embarrassed, I asked Emma - who I know from previous concerts at the castle - if I could have some of the holly at the end of the evening. She generously told me to help myself and at the appropriate moment even provided me with a plastic bin liner to carry it home.

Castle Coole is a wonderful neo-classical mansion. It was the perfect setting for a jolly and lively Christmas concert given by the Fermanagh Choral Society. Along with traditional carols were less well-known pieces of music and some wonderful storytelling by Bryan Gallagher. It is something that never fades - the pleasure of listening to stories well told. I particularly enjoyed the Brendan Behan story about a man setting out on his cart to travel to Dublin to buy Christmas presents but who, wanting to be helpful, also ends up fetching the coffin for his dead neighbour. Another definite highlight of the evening was the young flautist Kristan Swain, whose virtuoso playing of Il Pastore Svizzero by Francesco Morlacchi won him a well-deserved standing ovation. He was terrific. I am sure in a few years time he will be playing on far greater stages to far bigger audiences, but that evening the treat was ours.

But unfortunately, the pleasures of Christmas are now over. It is the time of year when many of us feel we should atone for our self-indulgence by adopting a New Year's resolution we have every intention of sticking to for a whole year - or at least a good few weeks. In the past, one of my regular resolutions was to join a gym. I promised myself (and anyone who would listen without falling about laughing) that I would go at least twice a week and when I was feeling very good, or very fit, three times.

I cannot tell you how much money I have wasted on subscriptions to gyms. There were, of course, extremely good reasons for my waning attendance. Most often the testosterone-fuelled, sweaty atmosphere was one of them. Now in west Cavan there is a green gym right outside my door, and I can assert with confidence and some degree of smugness that it is one space I will definitely be using this year.

There is another resolution my family is insisting I make. Christmas is the one time of year all the old board games come out of the cupboard. Monopoly is everyone's favourite. This may sound like the making of an idyllic family scene, but the reality could not be more different. The guys are all extremely competitive and ruthless in their quest to win. I get a bit fed up with this - after all it's only a game. And, because Tony and the boys do not trust each other, I am always banker. This is the perfect position to fiddle the finances and sabotage their macho strategies. For some reason, they always seem surprised I am capable of behaving in such a way. Hence their insistence I should make a resolution not to cheat any more at Monopoly.

I will, of course, accede to their demands. After all it's only at Christmas they play board games and so it's another resolution I can be sure of keeping for a whole year! 2005 will be the first full year Tony and I will spend in our new home. Now that most of the hard work is behind us, we are really looking forward to exploring further and discovering more wonderful spaces here in the northwest. In fact, our joint New Year's resolution is a promise to each other that we will make the most of all the opportunities moving to Ireland has given us. From now on, we are going to have the time of our lives. A happy New Year to everyone!