AISLING O’LOUGHLIN
TV presenter and blogger, pictured with her husband, Nic, and their sons Louis (three), Joseph (seven months) and Patrick (five)
It’s been a pretty incredible year. I was pregnant for most of it, and then baby Joseph turned up on May 10, and he’s just been an incredible baby. I got pregnant after Nic had been through the chemo, having survived cancer. He wasn’t even supposed to be able to make babies.
When they made the changes on Xpose, I had my kids around me and my little baby, and I was able to look after them, and they’re healthy, so you count your blessings. You just go, ‘Well, you know, life goes on, everything’s cool . . .’ I spent nearly ten years on the show but, at the same time, I was more than ready for a change. I wanted to get stuck into something with a little more depth, and ultimately I’ve done that myself with my new website.
Over Christmas, I’m not going to be doing anything but kicking back with my family and enjoying. I usually go home to Shannon in Co Clare to my parents, but this year I’m thinking I might be a grown-up. I haven’t quite grown up yet, even though I’m 38. I might leave my parents alone and do Christmas at home in Bray. It’ll be just myself, Nic and the three boys, and then we’ll go visit my parents the next day.
One thing I don’t like about Christmas Day is my poor Mum gets lumped with doing all the work. I try and help, but I’m not much use in the kitchen, and she likes to do it herself. I hate that feeling of one person doing all this work on a day that should be a holiday. I like the idea of not too many people around, or at least ‘all hands on deck’.
For me, I love the run-up to Christmas. For the month of December, I’m in the Christmas mood. It’s all very exciting, especially for the boys. Why not make the magic and indulge them, and see them scream and squeal? It’s a lovely time. When you’re a kid, you properly believe in magic, and then we grow up and we get a bit too cynical, but there’s something to it; there’s something so lovely in believing in magic.
I remember looking out the window waiting for Santy Claus, and it was the best feeling in the world. I definitely want to impart that and share that with my own kids, and create the magic moments for their Christmas.