The Last Sunday ...

...Of Advent! The longest Advent season you can have - the full four weeks - means that the service of lessons and carols at Holy Trinity Church could take place at a civilised distance from the marathon of Christmas Eve, and that, O Best Beloved, is A Good Thing! So as the weather changed, slowly melting the lying slush between the morning service and the carols, we put on the highlight of our choir's season and provided the music for Holy Trinity once more. 

Having been to church in the normal way at 10.30am, we'd had time for a breather before heading back up the hill for 4 o'clock. The promised rain had only just begun a faint smirr, and the shuttle bus was already ferrying people up from the West Bay car park when we arrived. (The church car park is small, and chaos ensues if people arrive in cars in any kind of numbers). There was a good turn-out, not just of congregation but also of possibly a majority from other churches and none, including former pupils now unrecognisable in their adult selves, visitors, and partners of our singers.

I'm not going in for a blow-by-blow, but it was lovely. We sang Advent Song - use the link if you fancy a last seasonal listen - and John played his Arabic Alleluia as a closing voluntary, raising hair all around. I love it. Both recordings are on my YouTube channel. Afterwards there was mulled wine-that-wasn't, mince pies, stollen, reunions, conversations, tears ... as gradually the crowd thinned out and vanished back down the hill into the darkness as the minibus came and went. 

And we went home, returned music stands and music to their customary places, made dinner, ate it, collapsed, slept over the telly for a bit and are now, late again, heading for bed. I may be exhausted, but I feel fortunate to have the experience of all  the riches of the  coming of Christmas as part of my life.

Photo - one of only two I was able to take - is a chorister's eye view of the end of the service. Himself is playing that hair-raising final organ piece, the church is lit by the red wall heaters, with candles on the altar behind me and stage-lighting effects on the far wall. Our stands have lights on them, which makes proper photography a tad challenging.