Celebrate Christmas

This started with the bhf shop Christmas meal, held on the 16th December, at the Avon Brewery pub this year.  We had a……

.......long table......
…….long table……

……set out with our place names (and on the back what we had ordered).  Some people had 3 courses, but I only had 2 – duck then a panna cotta with raspberry sauce – both good.  We had crackers…..

....with hats....
….with hats….

….and jokes and a plastic toy.  My jumping frog was made to jump too far onto the floor and got lost!  At the end the acting manager told us how the shop had done this year and gave out the “Certificates and badges of appreciation”.  Those of us who had contributed selected a “Secret Santa” present and then it was time to leave the rubbish and go.  A very special occasion though as Kirstie wore……

.....her Christmas jumper.....
…..her Christmas jumper…..

……which isn’t her normal black!  Will she ever live it down?  My “Secret Santa” present was a tin of ginger thins and we were all given some chocolate but I swapped my unwanted Ferro Roche for a chocolate Santa.

"Loot" from Christmas meal.
“Loot” from Christmas meal.

 

The next events were the carol service at church on the 13th December when I was on “Welcome Team” and the “sing-along” Christmas carols in SP2 Café on the morning of 18th December, the day it closed for a Christmas break.  Quite a lot of people there and joining in.

The next event was not really Christmas but always happens then!  It was my great-nephew’s birthday party on the 19th (birthday on 24th, poor lad!) so I went across for lunch and to deliver birthday and Christmas presents, but didn’t stay for the trampolineing!  The draughts/chess set was a good thing (not sure his granny thought so though!).

Presents and granny and Christopher playing draughts.
Presents and Granny and Christopher playing draughts.

Little sister had a notebook and multi-coloured pen as a consolation!

Holding pen but thumb about to go into mouth!
Holding pen and looking for plain paper – but thumb about to go into mouth!

The evening of the 20th was the second carol service at church, which I went to just to enjoy.  I thought both Carol Services were going to be the same, but there were different people doing the readings, the testimony and even the talk – which naturally made the talk different.  I think the carols were the same, but the second service was candle-lit and I am not sure the first one was.  The collection was for different things, too.  Good service, 5 “SP2 regulars” plus the community worker sat in a row and 2 more behind.  Lots of others there – very full service, even with the other one the previous week.

Then on Christmas Eve I headed for Cambridge to my brother’s house.  Trains not too busy and my sister-in-law picked me up from the station.  The next two and a half days were spent enjoying the company of my 2 younger nieces and my younger nephew, my brother and my sister-in-law.  My brother did all the cooking and produced some excellent meals – it is a pity that my carving of the turkey was not up to the same standard!  Christmas afternoon was the time for opening presents as in the morning my niece was sleeping after night duty as a nurse and my brother was cooking.  The dog…..

....opened her present.....
….opened her present…..

 

......was handed the interesting bit.....
……was handed the interesting bit…..
......and proceeded to squeak  and destroy it!
……and proceeded to squeak and destroy it!

After opening the presents…..

Opened presents.
Opened presents.

……there was the usual…..

....chaos of wrapping paper, presents, boxes etc.
….chaos of wrapping paper, presents, boxes etc……

…..and we admired presents, chatted and my elder niece went back to bed!

My sister and brother-in-law also came on Boxing day so there were more presents, more food and more chat.

I went home on the 27th – not such a good journey as the train to London was over-full.

So where is the real meaning of Christmas in all this?  Well, in the carols and the talks at the carol services, but also in the giving and receiving of presents which is a reminder of God giving us Jesus, I suppose.

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