Have Yourself a Very Merry (English) Christmas (Warning: Pedantic)

So rushed to catch my train at 3 on Christmas Eve and got caught in the rain, bumped into Ex-Housmate-Above at the train station and he said "What did you do to get yourself so soaked?"

Arrived at Bolton station a little disoriented and caught sight of a familiar grey coat and shimmery red scarf... it was Katie with her dad who drove us to Horwich and an already-familiar house where I was welcomed so warmly.

We went to a midnight service at Rivington church, which was lit with candles and decorated with holly and a beautiful tree. The vicar, a youngish-looking man with smile lines around his eyes and mouth (I hope I'll have lines like that when I'm older) spoke very briefly. Although my mind wandered around the church a little, he said something I thought very beautiful. He spoke about how, during World War One on Christmas Day, something happened down in the trenches. Fighting automatically ceased, without an official day of peace being declared. Soldiers went into no-man's land and exchanged presents and played football, and just for that one day, they were friends.

I found it difficult to understand how they could have gone back to fighting the next day, and the anguish they must have felt. (Although am not a pacifist) It made me think of something I read somewhere, where someone suggested declaring Thursday a no-fighting day in countries where civil strife was going on. After a terrible week, people would start looking forward to Thursdays and wonder why everyday wasn't like Thursday. Hopelessly impractical of course, and I wouldn't believe that it was possible. But it just reminded me.

how can change be introduced anywhere?

it's even more difficult to imagine how it could ever be introduced by me

Was reading Dave Wilkerson's book "The Cross and the Switchblade" at Katie's. What made him think he could help the street kids of New York? What gave him the courage to make the 8 hour trip to New York and roam the streets everyday not knowing where exactly he was going or who he was looking for? Did he ever feel inadequate? (Because I never believe that I can make a difference anywhere.) Did he ever feel foolish?

I think he did feel inadequate, but he knew that "His strength is made perfect in weakness"... and he knew also that he was there to "do good works, which God had prepared in advance for him to do". Perhaps he knew that all he had to do was to find out what good works had been prepared in advance for him, and just go, and trust that it would all work out.

Oops, have lasped into preachiness and wandered far away from what I was going to write.

Anyway, have to tell you about communion as well...

Towards the middle of the service people went out to take communion, and knelt at the front of the church while the vicar administered the bread and the cup. I'm not used to that, usually taking communion in my seat. For some reason going up and kneeling was beautiful and moving. Throughout the service my attention had been wandering because I didn't know the set prayers and I was just thinking about things, but going up in a solemn line and hearing the vicar whisper, "by his blood you are cleansed" I knew in a great wash of emotion just how much had been sacrificed for me, how wide and how long and how deep was His love for me. Knelt and thanked him quickly..

Slept that night in a haze of happiness and woke up the next morning to a world freshly white and cars topped with a layer of snow. We had breakfast and then everyone went into the living room to open their presents. I didn't expect so many and was quite overwhelmed. I really didn't know what to say,

and outside the snow was falling lightly

Megan also called from Canada, Florence texted from France, Haya texted from Jordan, and Mingzhen called from Singapore. I'd never felt so surrounded by warmth and friendship before. Also called my parents and my mum chatted away merrily about how everyone back home had been asking after me.

We had a lovely Christmas lunch thanks to Katie's mother which started at 2 and ended at 5 and by that time I was already feeling very warm, full and muzzy from too much food and red wine and was glad to be a contented lump on the settee half-reading Judith Kerr and half-watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

After that we went for a walk around Horwich. It was freezing cold and the sky was eeriely glowing and Katie and Ellen told me about when they were little and the people in that village. I took pictures like a crazy tourist and the fields were just quietly radiant in their covering of snow and the houses were right out of Hansel and Gretel (slight exaggeration there).

The next day was Boxing Day and I got to meet wee James at last and hold him. He was as lovely as I'd anticipated.

And that was my Christmas, where I felt I'd given nothing, but received so much. Help me, to give more in future. But this time I am really thankful for having been so blessed.

sorry if this is a little corny, hehe. have lots more to tell you, will write more next time.