starry greetings...

[jay]

Merry Christmas, to those who observe it... and a pleasant day as well to others.

Here... just finished wrapping the last few gifts, at 2:30am. The kids will be up in 4 hours...

Late-night Christmas Eve service... ritual, robes, processional... solemn pause, then five hundred voices all singing "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" locked together in unison... sent chills down my arms and back. We attended a local Episcopal church in Marietta, after geekchick's namesake saint (St. Catherine's :). Sat behind a gay man and next to a large autistic black man who was with his mother and kept rocking and making comfort sounds. Semi-casual dress... it all felt like home, and lovely. Candlelit, at the end, lit from the Advent candles.

Earlier, we'd finished shopping, and then accompanied my siblings and kids and my mother to my brother's church for their family Christmas Eve service... conservative evangelical, it was slightly uncomfortable. Then a large family dinner and carols together... it was fun. My father sang a little, too.

Comments

[mary-mayhem.livejournal.com]

That is lovely. Merry, joyful, glorious Christmas to you and all those you love.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and may you have a lovely and joyful day likewise. :)

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

that sounds like an utterly lovely service. Would have been delighted to have been with you.

(Due to some complications here-- like a housemate with a flat tire who was running late to the airport, and an uncooperative dog or two-- I ended up not making it to Christmas Eve services myself. My church doesn't ordinarily do a Christmas day service, but since it is Sunday, there will be the option for me to go to church.)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

I hope that it works out, dear... and a merry and happy Christmas to you, too.

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Singing like that is one thing I miss dredfully about church. I loved our Christmas services, and our choir concert (I sang in our church choir when I was in high school).

I'm so glad you found a service to attend that felt like home to you.

Have a Merry Christmas, dear.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed seeing Mark and Darla and their choir perform at the Unitarian church, and some of the stories that were told were very moving, too!

Merry Christmas, and a joyous day!