Did you miss it?

Were you eating turkey at the time or engrossed in conversation with your family?

The Boxing Day walk

...didn't take place on Boxing Day since there were family gatherings, tables to set, etc etc. So the boxing day walk took place today. Very bright and frosty.

Merry Christmas

The Children's Christmas Eve Service
at West Linton.

Lots of babies and little children this evening at our Christmas play at St Mungo's West Linton. A good crowd. Not exactly a quiet crowd though. It was nice to see all sorts of visiting grandparents and returning children and grandchildren.

Every year we say we're going to get a little hands free microphone and a sound system of some sort. The children are starting to read a lot more audibly these days - they're growing up and are no so wee any more. Some of these children were very small when I first arrived here.

David King our Rector's Warden was the donkey (again!). He's agitating for a speaking part next year. Notwithstanding the pious legend of the animals speaking on Christmas Eve I think I'm going to steer him away from this. I'll promise him a smaller Mary next year.

The Calm Before the Storm

The Church was decorated yesterday morning and everything is pretty well in place for Midnight Mass tonight.

The Nativity Scene characters are all in place but the bambino is not in the manger. He's hiding on the window sill near an electric cable from where he'll be collected during the opening hymn and placed in the crib.

One of my colleagues and I will take the two services in different places (Penicuik and West Linton) tonight at 11:30 pm and will switch churches on Christmas morning for what are usually rather cozy and informal services in both churches.

The list of parishoners who will want Holy Communion brought to them over Christmas is about a third done. I managed to get to a couple of nursing homes yesterday. We've eight or nine parishoners on this year's 'shut in' list who suffer from some degree of immobility or dementia who will need to be visited this Christmas.

The Santa Claus Bailout Hearings

Fr Joe Walker over at Felix Hominum has some reflections on "The Two Types of Christmas Sermons"

Baby it's cold outside!

Betty Garrett and Red Skelton
For all my family and friends in Canada who are enjoying a real winter.

Nine Lessons and Carols right out of the book. With a few added touches à la Penicuik. Lots of old friends. Quite a few small children sitting in a big lump with toys at the back and singing along when they knew the carol. Good participation from other denominations. A "happening", if you will.