WE’VE MADE IT, lads. Christmas is finally here. The shopping is done (don’t forget to have a box of chocs for Mary down the road who’s bound to call in out of the blue), the out-of-office is on, and hallelujah because all the school concerts, carol services and nativities are over. All that lies ahead of us is a food coma.

A fry to start maybe? Followed by the Christmas dinner itself and let’s not forget the interspersing of the various brands of tins of chocolates and the late-night turkey, ham, stuffing and crisp sambos which in my humble opinion are always better than the dinner itself. I said what I said.

But before we all throw on our eating pants with elasticated waists, there’s a whole host of ways to really build up that appetite, get some fresh air into the lungs, and maybe even do some good while you’re at it.

And if you’ve ever put on the news on Christmas Day, drifting in and out of the aforementioned food coma and looked at all those people who got out and about and did outdoorsy stuff and wished you had done something similar, we’ve got you covered.

Okay, this technically happens on Christmas Eve night, but it’s still a great way to get you ready for the turkey-and-ham-a-thon that is to come. It’s also for a charitable cause to raise money for The Simon Community.

In the past, the likes of Bono, Dermot Kennedy, Imelda May, Glen Hansard and Gavin James have turned up to this now annual Christmas tradition. Generally taking place near the Gaiety Theatre off Dublin’s Grafton Street, you never quite know who is going to turn up until they appear.

It’s always a really buzzy event and accordingly, it can attract big crowds. Keep an eye on the Simon Community socials for times and maybe even a few rumours as to who will be singing too.

People have been jumping into the Irish Sea at........

© TheJournal