Overcast and light rain for much of this the shortest day of the year. We were about forty for the Eucharist at St Catherine's. The Sunday Club children sang 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' in English and Welsh to the congregation at the end of the service. After lunch and a fruitless effort to snooze, I wrote cards to take with me for church members, then it was time to return to St Catherine's for the Ministry Area service of lessons and carols, attended by about a hundred people. On the way there I noticed two other sets of church doors open and the buildings lit up to welcome worshippers. It was dark for nearly an hour before we arrived.
At St Catherine's there was a live nativity tableau with the children singing 'Away in a Manger' and girls from the local ballet school danced angelically to 'Silent Night'. It's what always happens, carried out with love and devotion. The kids have quiet fun. Hopefully in later years they will recall a shared experience that helps define who we are as an Anglican Parish congregation. After the blessing, Sunday Club children again led the singing of 'We wish you a merry Christmas' in Welsh and English by choir and congregation. Then we had a mince piece and a glass of mulled wine in the church hall before walking home with Jayne who has an apartment in St Winifred's nearby. I went out again later in the rain to complete my daily step quota. It was still drizzling and needed all my determination not to be deterred by miserable conditions. The longest possible night's sleep tonight.
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