Christmas Day

Okay, I know Christmas was a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to right about a lovely experience that I had over Christmas dinner.

Some friends of ours invited us to join their family for Christmas dinner. We were honoured to spend some quality time with our friends and their extending family. There were about a dozen of us around a huge table spread with magnificence - delicious turkey, big slices of ham, more vegetables than I think I got around to having on my plate, bread sauce and stuffing, endless glasses of juice and, to top it all, a home made Christmas pudding complete with flames - marvelous!

Despite the spectacle which was the feast I will remember for a long time what happened at the end of the meal. Throughout our eating and merriment (I just wanted to use that word because it sounded Christmasy) music played in the background. Typical Christmas compilation kind of stuff. But it was at the end of the meal as I was enjoying my second cup of coffee, served with a big dollop of cream, that the Christmas carol 'In the Bleak Midwinter' came on the CD player. A stillness descended as we sat back in our seats and then our hosts' elderly mother began to sing along. Within a few lines each of us joined in:

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him?
Give my heart.

It really was a beautiful moment.

Thank you C & S.