Tag: Christmas eve

December Reflections 24: traditions

kathleenjowitt3 Comments
A plate of breaded white fish with peas, sweetcorn and potato alphabet letters: some of these spell "Noel"

… are somewhat malleable. No barszcz tonight, I’m not sure if we have any opłatek, and this fish certainly hasn’t been swimming in our bathtub (not that we’ve ever had a carp swimming in our bathtub). Still, it *is* a fish meal. Traditions from my side: tree decorated while listening to the Nine Lessons and Carols. Nobody made mince pies or iced the cake, though; all that’s going to have to wait until my gallbladder comes out.

I’m not feeling up to the midnight service: disappointed about that (it’s very rare that I get an opportunity to concentrate in church these days) but I will revive Pa’s tradition of Not Going To Midnight Mass (And Reading Gray’s Elegy Instead).

December Reflections 22: one year ago

kathleenjowittLeave a comment
In a sunset sky streaked with reddish purple clouds, one patch stands out in startling iridescent pale blue.

I don’t seem to have taken a photo on 22nd December 2023, but here’s a nacreous cloud from the 23rd. And of course this was a leap year, so I did in fact take this 365 days ago.

It’s particularly pleasing to see interesting sky features around Christmas. I remember one year, staying with the in-laws, getting back from the midnight service as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas morning and looking up to see a shooting star. This year, as noted yesterday, it’s mostly been grey – but we’re not there yet.