The full Christmas event

The past four days have been full with the celebration of Christmas, and for us, it isn't over yet. We still will have our gift exchange with John and Cynthia later this week. The Friday Dummerston choir rehearsal for Christmas Eve was postponed because of wintry weather, so we had an 11a.m. rehearsal on Saturday. Seven people made it to that: Eliza, Andrea, Wendy, Ellen, Mary, David and me. That was good! We ironed out a lot! Jim and Mary arrived from Maine about 4pm. just after I finished vacuuming, mopping, and decorating the mantel. Five more came to choir rehearsal at 5:30pm: Jim, Rick, Parker, Sam and Calvin. We ended up with plenty of rehearsal time, and the choir sounded good! John and Cynthia came to the service, which was special for me.

The Dummerston service: Top to bottom: the women sections; John and Cynthia; Silent Night by candlelight. ***********r

After the 7pm Dummerston service we went to our place for a quick supper: smoked fish chowder. J&C joined us. Then we dashed to Guilford to rehearse for the 11pm service. For the first time ever, there were fewer people at Guilford than Dummerston. But Pastor Elisa put her special mark on it as usual. She asked me to read John 1:1-5 at the service, and Ellen was asked to read the story of the Shepherds from Luke, but she could not get out of her ear the memory of Tony Barrand reading that passage from the King James Version on Christmas Eve, and rather than read the NRSV which was handed to her, she recited the KJV from memory. Brave soul!

Ellen reciting from Luke 2.5ff.

Reading John 1:1-6*************************** We got home from the Midnight service after 1:00a.m., and didn't get to bed until after 2a.m. Christmas Day, we had to get ready for the gathering at Katie & Savanna's. Every family had to prepare a basket of goodies which would be traded as our gift exchange. But Ellen also contributes Stollen and Plum Pudding to the eats. Fortunstely, much of this work Ellen had done earlier. So we were able to pack off for Shutesbury in fairly good season.

Preparing to eat. The meal was delicious!********* In addition to eating, we played games and sang carols. One of the games was brought by Brendon. I think it was called Gist. It was a word game, similar to Apples to Apples You got five cards that were "of" cards. The "dealer" established the first part of an analogy: What is the Such and such of such and such. E.g., "What" (or "WhO") is the Mother Teresa of preparing meals for others." (Answer could be Ellen!). Here is a description from the website: "Gist" is a twist on Apples to Apples. Deal each player five cards from the OF deck to start the game. Each round, the Decider draws a card from the THE deck. Each other player then plays an OF card and replenishes his hand. Each combination of THE and OF creates a question in the form of, "What is the X of Y?" After everyone has a chance to explain their combination, players predict which combination of THE and OF the Decider will choose, and then the Decider makes his choice. Score for predicting correctly and for playing the chosen OF card. An example might be, "What is THE microwave OF friendship." It took a while to get the hang of it, but once we did, it was fun. Another game to add to Salad Bowl and Fictionary Dictionary! I had prepared a "MadLibs" game which we did. That's where you create a Narrative and then choose words from the Narrative for which you substitute words which you solicit from the group by asking, "Ellen, give me a number," or "Katie, give me a verb describing the movement of a human body," etc. Here's what I ended up with: WHAT WILL 2023 BRING? What will 2023 bring? It is bound to be full of surprises. Will __Mike Pence___ run for president? Will the Republicans destroy the __Security and Exchange commision__________? Will the Democrats choose __Elizabeth Warren________for Vice - President? Will China start a war with ____Uganda____? Will the war in Ukraine cause Putin to ___Vomit_____? So many questions! One big issue is Climate Change. Will the average temperature of earth exceed __643_____degrees? If so, immediate steps will need to be taken. We will immediately need to ___chop_________ our __brassiers__________. We will have to heat our homes with ___antiques______. ____Trollies______will be made illegal. Cars will run on _incense___. ____42_____ people will lose their jobs, but there will also be ___1,417_______ new jobs. Everyday life will change. We will stop wearing ____ski pants_________. We will eat only __cauliflower_____ for breakfast. Instead of driving to the store, we will have to _____kick______. Our cell phones will. have to be thrown in the __attic________. . The biggest sacrifice will be giving up ______ breathing_____. But there will be advantages too! We will have more time for reading _____Herman Melville____, ___Teen Magazine_____ and ______the Boston Herald____. Children will ____play_____ instead of going to school. Money will. no longer be needed - instead we will use _____mailboxes____. But what is going to happen to our planet? It is expected that __17____ square miles of forest will be cut down. WInd speeds in hurricanes will reach __3652______ mph. Fires will be more frequent: as many as ___16_____ every day. Coastal flooding will be huge: it is expected that at least ____33 1/3___. cities will be under water by _____Jan 1, 2027________. This will create many climate refugees. In 2023, at least _____4____ will try to move into Western Massachusetts and Vermont!********************* Pretty Silly!

The whole group gathered at Katie and Savanna's home: Sitting, l. to r.: Me, Julie, Savanna. Standing, l. to r.: Jim, Brendon, Mary, Tye, Jerry, Katie, Tamar, Ellen. B is taking the picture. The tissue-paper crowns on people's heads come from "crackers" we open at the dinner table.

Ellen and Tamar singing carols.

The tree with baskets under it - each basket had a number, and each family drew a number randomly out of a bowl. Then each family opened the items in their basket for all to see. We got Tye and "B's" basket.************** The climax of the day is the plum pudding - or "figgy" pudding, as the song says (We all want some figgy pudding..."). The lights are dimmed and it is brought in flaming.

Flaming plum pudding.

Getting ready

Today has been a day of getting ready: for company and Christmas. Jim and Mary will arrive from Maine momentarily. I vacuumed and mopped, put lights on the tree, creche figures on the mantel.

Looking like Christmas! Jim and Mary just arrived. We were going to have a Dummerston Church choir rehearsal this evening for Christmas Eve - but a "flash freeze" is forecast - after a day of rain, a sudden drop of temp to below 20 degrees, plus snow/freezing rain. So I cancelled it. We are meeting at 11 a.m. tomorrow and I'm also asking people to come at 5:30 for a 7pm service. Ellen ran some errands this afternoon, and Jim and Mary arrived while she was out. I was very pleased that I got all my vacuuming and mopping and decorating done before they arrived - the house looked really nice.

Jim and Mary talking with Ellen. Ellen is now making granola to put in a gift basket for Christmas Day.

Being flexible

I feel that I am rolling with the punches. Mary Westbrook was supposed to lead choir on Christmas Eve, but she just doesn't feel well enough to do that and also be the accompanist. So I offered to lead the choir, selected music and set a rehearsal for Friday evening. But now the weather forecast is for snow/freezing rain for Friday evening. So I've rescheduled the rehearsal for 11a.m. Saturday. But not all can come then. One of my anthem choices needs to be rehearsed. So I may have to make a last-minute change. We'll see how it plays out. Meanwhile, Ellen got a tree at Elysian Fields tree farm. It is bigger than our usual tree and very shapely. We got it up in a tree stand this evening. It will be beautiful! I wrote my annual Christmas letter, and will mail out 11 of them tomorrow. For most recipients, however, it will be a New Year's letter. I've ordered some things for gifts that will not arrive in time for Christmas. Promisory notes! Not the first time! It snowed earlier this evening and now it's raining. Tomorrow could be real mess! But Christmas Eve and Christmas Day look ok. I feel for the many, many people whose travel plans have been cancelled or disrupted. Have a Merry Christmas! (If you can!)

Our tree

First a Pageant and then Lessons and Carols

Yesterday, we experienced quite a contrast in Christmas events: first, the Christmas pageant at the Guilford Community Church, and then, at dusk, the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The pageant re-enacts the story of Christmas in Mattthew and Luke in a very joyous, almost flamboyant way. Here is one participant's Facdbook post afterward: “Such an astounding Guilford Community Church, United Church of Christ Christmas Pageant yesterday! Intergenerational, so many kinds of music, instrumentalists, costuming, dancing in the aisles, differently-abled people involved in the fleshing out of the Nativity Scene, paper mache animals, Scripture readers online reading from Kaiguchu, Kenya, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, and Three Wise People dancing with exuberance, and on and on!

I spoke briefly at the close about "What Christmas means to me and GCC." Here is what I said: "What Christmas means to me and the Guilford Church - Oh My Goodness! For me, it starts after Thanksgiving with cookies taking over the house - yes, Ellen bakes for the Christmas Bazaar that week and our dining table fills up with literally hundreds of cookies. And the Christmas Bazaar itself Oh, - I still see ghosts of Christmas Past: Peg Hunter presiding over the crafts table and Pat Houghton at the wreath table, the Junior Choir selling Christmas cards they made by hand with ink and roller and etchings they created by scoring with a pencil a foam meat pack that we would get at the supermarket, all with the help of Suzanne Woodcock, and Ed Curtiss at his own little booth piled high with nicely wrapped packages containing - a SURPRISE - that's right, for a dollar you could buy a surprise package, contents unknown. It was a very popular table. Advent brought the Advent wreath, Shirley's special Christmas stories like Millie the Mouse - and caroling. The Junior Choir went for pizza after church and then went out caroling all over Guilford. One year, Dale Parente wore high-heeled shoes to go caroling and I can still see her determination as she struggled through the snow up the hill to Bertha Thomas' farmhouse. And a special moment, way out in the boonies on a back road at dusk, we walked up onto the porch of a modest little cabin and looked in the window and there was an elderly woman stooped over her kitchen range warming her hands over the gas flame, and it struck me that that was probably the only heat she had in the entire house. She saw us standing at the door, and she came over, opened the door and said in the sweetest voice, "And what can I do for you?" And instantly, I felt I was in a sacred space, I had been transported back to the manger on that first Christmas night. And then there is Christmas Eve - Shirley started the midnight service and she always managed to end it right at the stroke of midnight. My favorite story comes out of that service - I have told it before but will tell it again. For many years I sang O Holy Night to begin that service. And one year a man named Gil Johnson came to me in early December and said, "Larry, this year I would like to sing "O Holy Night" at the Xmas Eve service. Would you help me prepare?" I gulped a little and said, "Of course, Gil, I would be glad to," So we got together and it almost immediately became clear that Gil was tone deaf, he could barely tell one note from another. But he was enthused and determined, and we met several times and he worked hard and Christmas Eve came and by golly, he sang O Holy Night, and it wasn't always in tune, but he sang it passionately and with deep fervor. And he came up to me after the service with tears in his eyes, and said, "Larry, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever done in my whole life." And I thought, "That's what this is all about!" God had reached down and touched Gil's life in an unforgettable way. ..........And that is what I wish for each of you this year - - that at some unexpected moment, something will transport you, God will touch you - a phrase from the Christmas story, a chord from the choir, a reading from Pastor Elisa, or perhaps just a hug, or a smile, or a child laughing - something will touch you and transform you with the light and the love of Christmas. I pray it will be so! Amen!"

Giving my talk.*************************************** The Lessons and Carols service was quite a contrast. Much more sedate, more carefully planned. Very lovly, but perhaps lacking in the spontaneous joy at Guilford. Also, there was a marked contrast in the social class of the congregation. Chestnut Hill is very toney, and it shows in the clothes of the people. We felt just a bit shabby - well, me anyway. Ellen wore her best coat. But we love this service, and of course it brings back a flood of memories of Betsey, Katie and Rob, who all sang in the choir, and also Betsey's memorial service was held here. A sacred place.

Before the service begins

With the choir - sorry it's so blurry! Our original plan, to spare Ellen a late-night drive home, had been to stay at a Four Points Sheraton in Newton, MA, about a ten-minute drive from the Church, and we had reservations. But when we drove there, we followed our iPhone GPS, and at the last second, it failed to warn us of a right turn, and we suddenly found ourselves inexorably on the on-ramp to the Mass Turnpike! No exits for quite a few miles, and then, what would happen when we tried to go back? Ellen made an on-the-spot judgement: "I can't do this. We should just take the Mass Pike and go home." No arguing with that, so I called the Sheraton to let them know we would not be using the reservation, and, amazingly, they cancelled without penalty. They did not need to do that - thank you Sheraton! I also called Expedia, which actually made the reservation online. They said that Sheraton would charge me the full cost of the room - which was the policy - but they didnt. The traffic was not bad, we took Interstate all the way to Brattleboro, and were home by 9:30 or so. So it all worked out!

Two Concerts

We have not done a winter River Singers concert for three years becsuse of Covid-19. But last Saturday, we did not just one but two - mainly because of COVID! We are performing in a smaller space than we were pre-COVID, and we wanted to limit the size of the audience for safety reasons. So we had a concert at 2:00p.m. and another at 4:30p.n. in the Westminster-West Congregational Church. Ellen brought a little snack that we ate between concerts. I brought a stool, so I did not have to stand for a long time. The concern was shorter than usual - less than an hour - but it was varied, and some felt it was just the right length. John, Cynthia and their friend, Angelina, came at 2p.m. I think everyone felt good about both concerts. Here is the program: 1. Sheffield (Familiar "Joy to the world" lyrics with musical setting by WIlliam Billings) 2. Halsway Carol (A lovely contemporary Solstice carol) 3. Shut de Door (A contemporary Caribbean Gospel song) 4. Belo Lice (A lively Bosnian song) 5. In This Heart (Lovely Irish ballad) 6. I Themba Lami (A South African church anthem) 7. Lashkrad Ts'asvia (Georgian "nonsense song") 8. Reunion (by John Harrison - a tribute to Larry Gordon) 9. Tvojte oci leno mori (Macdonian love song) 10. This is the Sound of Victory (John Harrison song based on Brooklyn "Sound of Victory Chorus) 11. Singing in the Land Our "encore" (Appalachian folk carol)

The audience gathering

Mark Grieco annnouncing a song

Word sheet for Belo Lice

Let it snow!

Ellen just measured the snow depth on the deck: 9 inches. It looks like more than that because it's sticking to everything. John says he has 13". It's supposed to keep snowing all night. We have two RS concerts tomorrow, at 2pm and 4:30pm. That's to keep the audience smaller for COVID reasons. Hopefully, driving will be ok. But parking on the side of the road could be a problem. The weather could cut down the audience. Today, we stayed home. i slept late, lounged in bed, played Wordle (score: 4), Quordle (7), and Spelling Bee (genius). Got up, had a late breakfast and looked at email. I read the recent New Yorker. Interesting article on Qatar and the World Cup. I wrote my Christmas letter to family and friends and went through my box of old Christmas cards and selected the ones I'll use to make new cards for this year. We just ate a yummy supper (as usual) and are watching the Friday news programs. A pretty nice day!

Taken this morning. Lots more now (but it's dark)

Slippers!

I have gotten some new slippers from Jerry Feinland that are fantastic. They have a battery pack which makes them warm and boy are they ever comfortable and they keep my feet warm. This has been a problem for me for a long time especially when I go to bed at night - my feet are always cold. But now I can wear these slippers in the evening and my feet will be warm when I go to bed. I may even try to wear them at night if my feet are really uncomfortable. i've been using a heating pad in bed, but now maybe I won't have to. this evening we had a really wonderful Hallowell rehearsal at the Westminster-West church. Peter Amidon spoke very openly about his cancer treatments. He was very open saying that he probably has only a few years of life ahead of him at best and that he is very much at peace with that - he feels he owes a lot of that to his years with Hallowell and how we deal so openly with death and dying. Very moving! A big snow storm is moving in tomorrow. Saturday we have two RS concerts! We'll see how that all plays out!

My new slippers. The battery packs are charging right now.