While the rest of us have been celebrating Christmas and looking forward to the new year, one midlands mother had a season of anxiety and worry.
Teresa Direen, the wife of a local garda, who lives in the married quarters at Geashill Garda station in Co Offaly, blockaded the gates of her home in early December to prevent the erection of Esat Digifone equipment on a mast in her back garden.
A mother of 10 children, she took the action to protect her family from injury she fears they might suffer from the communications equipment, which would form part of the new Garda communications network under a deal with Esat.
"I am more or less a prisoner in my own home because of the stand I have taken to protect my family, and it has been a very difficult Christmas," she said.
"I am not looking forward to the new year because I am afraid to leave the house to go and visit my mother in Carlingford in case they come in when I'm gone. It will be the first time ever that this has happened because I have always gone home to see her at the new year."
Her mother is in her 70s, and their separation at this time of year is causing them both a lot of anxiety.
Mrs Direen said she had received a great deal of support in her blockade of the site from all over the country and would keep up her protest until the matter was resolved to her satisfaction.
Meanwhile, in Tullamore, another mast row has broken out over a proposal by Esat to install communications equipment on a silo at Tullamore railway station, eight miles from Geashill.
The company had planned to place six antennae, a base station and a Portakabin near the silo, which is used by Irish Cement but is the property of CIE. The proposal is being opposed by parents of children attending two nearby schools, Scoil Mhuire and Scoil Bhride.
The silo is close to a Travellers' site, and a spokeswoman for the Tullamore Travellers' Movement said it, too, would oppose the development.
There was also disagreement between Esat and the district council about whether the development requires planning permission.
So far Offaly County Council has refused applications for six masts in the county, and Laois County Council has refused permission for eight.