Christmas comes ... and goes

From a spiritual point of view, it was an odd Christmas. By lunchtime Christmas Day I'm usually "carolled out" as I've sung the most popular ones a number of times by then. But this year, with a combination of not being in a pastorate and having a cold that lasted two and a half weeks, I felt I had hardly celebrated Christmas at all. For the first time in 23 years I was not taking part in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services; instead, we went over to my sister-in-law's. Now we thought we would go to a late night service on the Eve, but listed locally were only Anglican churches, plus the Methodist church which was doing communion.

Now I've led Christmas Eve communions and I know they can be special times (in Barnet, it was always by candlelight). However, I'm afraid the Methodist service was just as Anglican as C of E churches, if not more so! I realise this is just our preference, but it didn't do a lot for us. Especially as it seemed to be 'karaoke' carols, as we think the organ music was being played from a CD, rather than the organ keyboard. It was a case of keep up or else! Plus, of course, a carol that we didn't know, but it was by Charles Wesley, so that's alright then!

So a slightly odd Christmas for us. I hope next year I will have a church and I promise I will be grateful, even when I've sung "O come all ye faithful" for the sixth time!