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Twas the night before Christmas...
Dec. 25th, 2002 01:01 amThis morning I got on a Virgin train; it left Oxford on time. It spat me out again in Darlington on time. It - get this - waited in Doncaster for a few minutes because it had arrived there early. Clear evidence that I had entered a parallel universe.
I arrived home, and began on the whirl that is Christmas Eve. As I said in my hundred things, Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Partly it's anticipation, but mostly it's just the day itself.
So, I arrived home in time for Cullen Skink for dinner, and then got on with decorating. We don't decorate the house till Christmas Eve - it's all very ( traditional ).
Sadly, my neck is still sufficiently bad that I couldn't face the long periods of standing up (not to mention wearing the bastard heavy robes) required for joining the choir for midnight service this evening. It must be a few years now since I've missed midnight service - I'll go to early morning communion with my parents tomorrow, but I'll miss what I consider the official ( start of Christmas ).
Still, I did manage to join some of the choir this evening, for the ( pre-Christmas ceremony ).
So, the electric fire from the front room is banished upstairs, and we have a coal and apple log fire. The wreath, hastily made by me from pittisporum, wire and ribbon this afternoon, is hanging on the gate. Presents are wrapped, mysterious smells from the kitchen earlier suggest that my mum has all that turkey and stuffing business under control.
It's nearly Christmas, now.
I arrived home, and began on the whirl that is Christmas Eve. As I said in my hundred things, Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Partly it's anticipation, but mostly it's just the day itself.
So, I arrived home in time for Cullen Skink for dinner, and then got on with decorating. We don't decorate the house till Christmas Eve - it's all very ( traditional ).
Sadly, my neck is still sufficiently bad that I couldn't face the long periods of standing up (not to mention wearing the bastard heavy robes) required for joining the choir for midnight service this evening. It must be a few years now since I've missed midnight service - I'll go to early morning communion with my parents tomorrow, but I'll miss what I consider the official ( start of Christmas ).
Still, I did manage to join some of the choir this evening, for the ( pre-Christmas ceremony ).
So, the electric fire from the front room is banished upstairs, and we have a coal and apple log fire. The wreath, hastily made by me from pittisporum, wire and ribbon this afternoon, is hanging on the gate. Presents are wrapped, mysterious smells from the kitchen earlier suggest that my mum has all that turkey and stuffing business under control.
It's nearly Christmas, now.
