Categories: uncategorized
Date: 27 December 2008 12:27:17
Christingle services are cool - you get to play with sweets and candles!!! Ok, no big deal you might think but for me candles are a forbidden luxury which I so miss. You see under the terms of my rental agreement even having unlit ones in the flat is taken as a symbol of intent and so I just don't get to have them as a decoration anymore yet alone light them. So it was that not only having a Christingle but getting to light the candle and stand holding it for three whole carols was a v.big deal for me. It was the most special bit of Christmas for me.
Now I know that sounds like the ramblings of a rather eccentric and sad person, but you have to understand candles and the sea were key ways in which I "remembered" in my personal devotions back down south.
As for the day itself itself, well I trundled off to church and then trundled home; spent the time between church and The Queen examining texts on celibacy / abstinence and sexuality for my literature review. Then I got the potatoes on before heading over to the neighbours about tea time for the Christmas meal.
They were v. sweet and had done Yorkshire puddings just for me. However, this wasn't a "traditional Christmas dinner". In addition to the chicken, yorkshires and roast potatoes there was macaroni in cheese sauce, dumplings in sauce and a sweet potatoe think which kind of resembled apple crumble, but with sweet potatoes. Yup, I was experiencing Christmas - American style. A v. different but enjoyable experience. The evening was rounded off by a card game and discussion about differences in English, US and Japanese culture before heading home for the Christmas evening tv.
Boxing Day saw me getting my head around "Some Issues in Human Sexuality", and regularly topping myself up with Phish food to keep me going.
So all in all a rather different Christmas, but a very enjoyable one.