Christmas Moments

Cindi's huge Christmas Eve brunch... Freshly ground coffee from the new coffee maker - sweet!... Hannah and Johanna singing so sweetly the Quempas Carol... Friends gathered for goodies and visiting... Censing the church... Lauren and Anna letting lose on "Mary Did You Know"... Bekah, Abbey, and Robyn singing "Breath of Heaven"... Cindi on guitar and Diane doing some haunting flute selections... Jonathan and Kristi singing and playing recorder... Richard preaching with joy and conviction... The Eucharist shared as Cindi sings "O Holy Night"... "Break Forth" by the Weedon clan and Anna and Diane as the candles were being lighted... "Silent Night" and the ringing of the bell to welcome the Birth of the Savior (big Don pulled the rope on the great bell for must have been five minutes)... Lucky arriving, so feeble and aged that it's hard to conceive... Christmas eve night spent worried about the church catching fire (I do this every year, despite both thurible and candles spending the night OUTSIDE)... The reading of the Christmas announcement from the Martyrology, concluding in "O Come, All Ye Faithful"... The joy of the Christmas Day Gospel... The bells ringing in a "Joy to the World!"... The choir's astounding "He is Born, the Divine Christ Child" during distribution... "Now Sing We Now Rejoice" as the exit hymn, not quite Praetorius' Mass for Christmas morning, but close... More food and visiting than you could shake a stick at, but sad that Russell ended up not feeling well and unable to join us... Jo's famous popovers... Telling stories on Sandy to Kayla... Pies, pies and more pies... The quiet in the house when everyone is napping and the tree is lighted and Lucy is contentedly snoring at my feet... A joyous feast indeed.