Christmas Eve
Legging about this morning, and a bit of final wrapping this afternoon which I enjoyed, despite the best attentions of Calliope who kept rushing at the wrapping paper.
Off to St. Nicholas Church a Crib Service, which is a shortened service primarily designed for children. Oskar has one of the many gyps doing the rounds and stayed at home with Brian. Went to Church with Anna, Anton and Klaudia. Anne, Anton's mum was there too, and at the Church we met Lorraine and Maureen and Pat. A nice enough service, with a game of pass the parcel incorporated into a telling of the Christmas Story, with layers of wrapping paper being torn off to reveal different aspects of Jesus. Klaudia caught the ball at one point and went to the front to tear off another layer. She also carried one of the wooden figures and placed it in the Nativity scene, plus carried a candle to the front looking as cute as anything.
I absolutely love the symbolism of the Nativity story, and St Nicholas seems to me to be a lovely place with good people, and I really enjoy attending at Christmas Eve.
Then all back to Anton and Anna's house. Anton carrying Klaudia on his back while she wore the hat she had stolen from my head. Bitingly cold tonight. And great to get back into the warm for a lovely evening and great company. Wonderful pulled pork and Mexican flavours from a meal prepared by Anna and Anton, who were typically hospitable and kind.
Moved by Anne who told me about her return to Mexico with Keith's ashes. She and Keith lived there, and Anne scattered his ashes in the area of sea they used to look at from their dining table. Apparently the Priest was late for the ceremony, and arrived on the boat Anne and her friends were on by jet ski. She was invited back to the house she had lived in, and sat at the same table and looked out at the same view. One of the friends wanted to spare a few of the ashes from the waves, and took them back to their own family crypt, where Keith's name is now added proudly, and slightly incongruously, to a list of Mexican names. The whole business made Anne feel she had come full circle, that happily felt rather healing.
Keith and Anne had invited me several times to their own Christmas Eve meals, which were always great fun and characterised by Keith's generosity.
Below various kinds of cute. Calliope qua Santa's little helper, Before the service, Klaudia and Fr. Robert, and blurry snaps of Klaudia carrying a candle.
Legging about this morning, and a bit of final wrapping this afternoon which I enjoyed, despite the best attentions of Calliope who kept rushing at the wrapping paper.
Off to St. Nicholas Church a Crib Service, which is a shortened service primarily designed for children. Oskar has one of the many gyps doing the rounds and stayed at home with Brian. Went to Church with Anna, Anton and Klaudia. Anne, Anton's mum was there too, and at the Church we met Lorraine and Maureen and Pat. A nice enough service, with a game of pass the parcel incorporated into a telling of the Christmas Story, with layers of wrapping paper being torn off to reveal different aspects of Jesus. Klaudia caught the ball at one point and went to the front to tear off another layer. She also carried one of the wooden figures and placed it in the Nativity scene, plus carried a candle to the front looking as cute as anything.
I absolutely love the symbolism of the Nativity story, and St Nicholas seems to me to be a lovely place with good people, and I really enjoy attending at Christmas Eve.
Then all back to Anton and Anna's house. Anton carrying Klaudia on his back while she wore the hat she had stolen from my head. Bitingly cold tonight. And great to get back into the warm for a lovely evening and great company. Wonderful pulled pork and Mexican flavours from a meal prepared by Anna and Anton, who were typically hospitable and kind.
Moved by Anne who told me about her return to Mexico with Keith's ashes. She and Keith lived there, and Anne scattered his ashes in the area of sea they used to look at from their dining table. Apparently the Priest was late for the ceremony, and arrived on the boat Anne and her friends were on by jet ski. She was invited back to the house she had lived in, and sat at the same table and looked out at the same view. One of the friends wanted to spare a few of the ashes from the waves, and took them back to their own family crypt, where Keith's name is now added proudly, and slightly incongruously, to a list of Mexican names. The whole business made Anne feel she had come full circle, that happily felt rather healing.
Keith and Anne had invited me several times to their own Christmas Eve meals, which were always great fun and characterised by Keith's generosity.
Below various kinds of cute. Calliope qua Santa's little helper, Before the service, Klaudia and Fr. Robert, and blurry snaps of Klaudia carrying a candle.
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