Monday 22nd December - Clearing the decks

The boxes of Christmas decorations have been taken back upstairs, and what hasn't been done won't be done now. Today's main efforts were stringing all the cards around the room at ceiling height,

and hanging baubles on the rose bush outside. (Picture tomorrow). Not much left to do - the last presents to wrap and deliver to local friends and, oh, yes, the other half of the dining room table...

I would very much like to get this sorted in time for Christmas...  we've kind of ignored it for about a year. I'm sure it is full of forgotten treasures though, so could be quite fun (typing in the text doesn't quite convey my dubious tone of voice).

Meanwhile here is the last of the Advent O antiphons, the one for 23rd December. I suppose the night-time services on Christmas Eve were considered to be part of Christmas, rather in the way the Midnight Communion service on Christmas Eve was always a part of Christmas Day, more important in some ways that the Christmas Day service.    

O Emmanuel,

Rex et legifer noster,

expectatio Gentium,et Salvator earum:

veni ad savandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

O Emmanuel,

our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Saviour:

Come and save us, O Lord our God.

The text of these antiphons is very familiar to us from the Advent hymn 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' .

Here are Chet Valley Churches singing it;