For a day, the hustle just stops

In Ireland, on Christmas Day, the airports were closed. No planes landed or took off. No buses came either. No trains left the shuttered stations.

- JENNIE RIDYARD

No ferries sailed into the ports. No cinema opened. No pub unlocked its doors for a quick pint after mass. No supermarket sold crisis custard and crackers. And if you wanted a last-minute present for Aunty Mary, who had suddenly decided to bring a gift after years of Scrooge-ing, then maybe you'd find a corner shop or petrol station - likely staffed by Muslims or Hindus - that was open for a couple of hours and would hand over a box of Milk Tray or a wilting poinsettia for a premium.