Christmas is over

On Christmas eve there were three Christingle services at Christ Church - all very well attended, the first apparently had over 300, which is rather too many for the building, so it must have been heaving.  The office where I work was closed at noon, but being in I.T. I did leave until about 1pm.  I was soon home and waiting for my eldest daughter to arrive - sometime about an hour or so after the end of her crib service.  So I did not get to see the Christingle services.  Karen arrived mid-evening.  The four of us went to the midnight communion, which in our church still spans mid-night.  The boys, sadly, do not join us, even at this time of year.  There I told the Shepherds story to the few who had managed to stay the course / finish their preparation in time.  Then it was back home, open one present (it's Christmas day then) and off to bed - to get enough sleep to enjoy Jesus's birthday party the next morning. Balloons and party games in Church to celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings.

Christmas lunch was prepared and served, eaten and enjoyed.  The only slight issue being that the bottle of wine we had save for the occasion from last year was corked.  A lesson learnt - all this years wine has now been consumed. There followed a brief spell of present opening - we seemed to have SO much this year.  That was because the girl friends presents were also under our tree.
Then it was back to the food after my sister arrived with two of her three children (those still at home).
So Christmas went well - we had a house full of family and plenty to eat.  Some very nice presents too. 

As the family age the 'traditions' for celebrating Christmas (our usual routine for the past 20 something years) necessarily;y changes and new forms will appear in due course.  So long as we keep telling the story of His birth, His life, His death, and His Life the main point will not be lost.  We will not descend into "seasons greetings" as so many seem to be doing.  What is the season you are sending greetings for exactly?

As Greg Lake sang:
Hallelujah! Noel!, be it Heaven or Hell,
The Christmas we get, we deserve.

P.S. by the way Greg - the Israelites really did exist, and most Historians would agree that the particular one whose birth we are celebrating of did exist too.