I would like to talk about beauty. Not beauty in what would be called the conventional sense, as in a beautiful woman, but beauty in life.

Some of you are probably thinking, “what in life could be more beautiful than a stunningly gorgeous woman?”, and the answer is….NOTHING! But, there are some things that are so beautiful to me that I genuinely cant describe, with any sense of accuracy, how they make me feel.  

One thing I find truly beautiful and humbling, is the vastness and possibility of space. I mean, just look at that picture and try not to be completely blown away. I’ve always been fascinated with space. I would gladly spend a night gazing at the stars, and I do when I get the chance to get out of the towns lights. Space is a thing of pure wonderment for me. The thought that while i’m looking up at the stars wondering if we’re really all alone in the universe, there could be someone or something light years away wondering the same thing blows my mind.

Something beautiful a little closer to home now, but still manages to retain the colour and wonder of space…..

The aurora-borealis. The northern lights. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing that you can see on this planet. I am not a person with many dreams, but one of the very few dreams I have is to see them first hand, and I truly hope I do. A wondorous cosmic light show. I believe, if I were to see them, it would have the most profound effect on my outlook on life, changing me as a person.

One of the most beautiful things I have ever heard is a piece of music by the composer Claude Debussy, titled “Claire de Lune”, which translates to “moonlight”. It’s the only piece of music I’ve ever heard that you can tell what its about just from hearing it. Not a single word encumbers the song and it’s all the more magical for it.

I’ll finish with the most simple, and one thats enchanting me even as I write this. Rain lashing off the window while I lay in bed has always relaxed me. I find it soothing and comforting that while outside the wind howls, I am comfortable, warm and relaxed in bed. Sometimes it’s the simple things…..

Oh, and the most beautiful thing of all, is seeing the beauty in something that no one else sees.

With the recent birth of my second niece, I’ve been pondering what her childhood will be like in comparison to mine. Just thinking about this alone has completely blown my mind.

I am 21 years old, my earliest memory of technology is playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario on the NES. Mobile phones were gigantic and only ever seen on tv, (saved by the bell being my earliest memory of seeing one). Speaking of tv’s, the screens were small, picture was fuzzy and they weighed a metric tonne. Movies were rented on VHS in Video Shops. Pcs were generally only ever seen in school and were only used to draw crude pictures using the paint application(we’ve all done that,right?).

I remember my first time on the internet, I think it was 1996. I used it to look up pictures from “The Excorcist”, though i think I gave up waiting for them to load. Music was bought on casette although later in my childhood cd’s started to become the norm. The most groundbreaking special effects at the time were from Terminator 2. I had the best childhood I could imagine. And now i think of my niece Orla.

She is 2 days old(at the time of writing, at the time of publishing she is 2 1/2 months). At the time of her birth, 21 years after mine, look at the difference. She has been born at a time when you can control a video game with your hands and voice alone. Games have ultra realistic visuals, stories to rival most movies and can be played with people from all over the world. This is a time when instead of using tiny computer like “Smart phones” to communicate you can video chat with someone using a laptop and even tv if (if you find phones to be sooooo last year).

Movies come on dvd, blu ray or even streamed instantly from a computer meaning soon “video shops” as they’re known all over Ireland, will be a thing of the past. At the touch of a button you can access any information online including finding out what your friends have been up to, even checking out their latest pictures. Tvs are razor thin and have amazing picture and sound quality.

All these advancements in technology, she will take for granted because they’ve always been there for her. You could go crazy thinking about in 21 years, if she was to look back on advances in technology during her lifetime, what wonders her beautiful innocent eyes will have seen. She’s blessed to be born in a time of endless possibility.

Just for a little fun I decided to do a top five! Seeing as how it’s Christmas time i’m going to do my top five Christmas movies! These are the films that, for me, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without! So pour yourself a glass of mulled wine, throw another Yule log on the fire,light up the tree and watch any one of these movies to get in the Christmas spirit!

5. Elf. Just about scrapes into the top 5 mainly because it’s the last outstanding modern Christmas movie. It’s got all the right ingredients, Will Ferrel as Buddy the elf, James Caan as buddys dad who’s on the dreaded naughty list and of course Zooey Deschanell. But it’s the humour that puts it above the others, with jokes for young and old! But if you don’t like Will Ferrel maybe give this one a miss.

4. A Christmas Story. If you live outside America there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this film which is a big shame! But to give you an idea of the regard it’s held in in America, there’s a channel that on Christmas eve, plays this movie constantly for 24 hours! At it’s heart it’s a story of childhood in 60’s America. But it’s also a great family movie. Lookout for the scene which taught millions of kids not to lick ice, or encouraged them to trick others into doing exactly that!

3. Scrooged. You’d think this is just another twist on dickens’ immortal classic, and you’d be right! However this brings alot of new ideas to one of the most famous stories ever! Bill Murray plays a “Scrooge” like tv network executive who must learn the error of his ways to save his soul, with the help of three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Bill Murray’s hilarious performance and the amazing feel good finale lift this above other “Christmas carol” remakes.

2. National lampoons Christmas Vacation. Easily the funniest Christmas movie ever! Chevy Chase plays Clark griswold who’s trying to fulfill his lifelong ambition of having a “big old fashioned family Christmas”. Standing in his way of achieving that goal are his bickering parents and in laws, a cruel boss, and his redneck brother in law Eddie who steals the show! Great movie, deserves to be the number 2 on the list.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life. Without doubt the most famous, touching and inspiring christmas films of all time. Everyone knows the story because almost every show that’s had a Christmas special has copied from it! It revolves around Jimmy Stewarts most famous character, George Bailey. He’s a man who’s spent his life trying to help others, putting their needs in front of his own dreams of travelling the world. Then on Christmas eve, facing bankruptcy and prison he contemplates suicide until an angel shows him what the lives of the town members would be like if he never existed! Not only is it my number one christmas movie but it’s one of my favourite movies. You have to see this film, they don’t make them like this anymore! And don’t be surprised if you shed a tear at the finale! So that’s my top 5, hastily done on my Ipod so sorry for the bad presentation but I hope you enjoyed it anyways :)