Merry English Christmas!

This year has been a different Christmas for us, being "exiled in England." It certainly has felt different, being surrounded by green grass and English holly instead of the threat of snow and ice and frost. But there have been other differences as well.

Larissa and I actually began Christmas on Christmas Eve, by attending a wonderful midnight service at the local parish church. On Christmas morning things started in the ordinary way with our family "Christmas program" of music and Scripture reading followed by the present opening. But after that things diverged from the ordinary. We made an English breakfast of sausage, bacon, egg, tomato, and toast (no baked beans or mushrooms or black pudding!). Then for dinner we had some friends over for a fairly traditional English Christmas dinner of turkey and gravy, roast potatoes and vegetables (including brussel sprouts--apparently there must be brussel sprouts!), topped off with Christmas pudding and a Christmas cracker.

Yet in spite of the changes for us, the angelic good news continues to ring true: "A Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord"...

Wishing everyone a very merry English Christmas!