You could do worse for Christmas spirit than pitch your tent at , in Phoenix Park, for the week. (That's a metaphor, by the way.
Don't actually try it) Today and tomorrow (and next weekend) Farmleigh is hosting a Christmas food market, festive baking demonstrations, carol singing with St Patrick Cathedral's Chamber Choir and storytelling for children. All events are free, although some are ticketed.
See www.farmleigh.ie
If you feel jaded by rampant consumerism and feel like reconnecting with the real Christmas, go to Catherine Hardwicke's film The Nativity Story, which was released yesterday. Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary, it focuses on the journey to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. The movie's mixed reviews and cringe-worthy tagline aside - "Her child would save the world" - it could be worth catching.
Speaking of films, you could also pop along to Meeting House Square, in Temple Bar, on Thursday to watch the classic Miracle on 34th Street beneath the stars. It's free. See www.templebar.ie.
Scratching the noggin for present ideas? Rather than traipse around the shops you could head for the National Crafts & Design Fair, at the RDS. We mentioned it last week, but it continues until tomorrow, with more than 450 designers, artists and craftspeople displaying their wares. Admission is €10, and it's open from 10am until 7pm. You could also try the Docklands Christmas Market, at George's Dock in the IFSC, which starts on Tuesday and runs until December 23rd.
If you get tired of the minutiae of Christmas, it might be good to immerse yourself in the grand global themes of love and loss in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Anna Karenina, at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Tolstoy's novel from the 1870s is set in the highest circles of Russian society, where Anna Karenina, a privileged society wife, embarks on a tragic love affair. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." See www.gate-theatre.ie.
It's the time of year when some of Ireland's favourite bands and performers get in on the Christmas buzz. The Olympia, in Dublin, hosts Declan O'Rourke tomorrow, Josh Ritter on Monday and Tuesday and Ocean Colour Scene on Thursday.
There are good opportunities for some much needed rock-out, with The Films at Whelan's, in Dublin, on Wednesday and The Charlatans at the Ambassador, in Dublin, on Thursday. Vicar Street, in Dublin, is the venue for The Human League on Tuesday, Damien Demspey on Monday and Wednesday and the irreverent smut of Podge and Rodge for three nights from Thursday.
The sporting year is coming to a close, but, before it does, Leinster host Agen in the Heineken Cup, at Lansdowne Road at 5.30pm today. Punchestown is open for horse racing tomorrow, the highlight being the €100,000 John Durkan Memorial Chase. Obligatory Yule-flavoured apres-race events include carol singers, Santa Claus, a shopping village and live music. Tickets are €18. Call 045-897704.