Merry Christmas- May you find Peace & Joy xx

Merry Christmas to You...

Warm welcome,

Christmas is upon us once again, where did the year go?? Time seems to go faster every year. I remember as a child, waiting for Christmas seemed like an eternity.. Such fond memories, my family would all go to Midnight Mass, (we had to walk a mile to get there) but we had to be early or you wouldn't get a seat, and the Christmas Hymns started at 11.30pm.

These days, we attend the 7.00pm Mass Christmas Eve, which is a childrens Mass. (Must be early as seats still sparse.) The nativity story is re-enacted by children, it is just delightful. Hymns are still sung during Mass, but at the end, the priest gets all the children up front to sing jingle bells.

I don't get terribly caught up in the commercialism of Christmas. The most important thing to me is to be with my family, I don't just mean my immediate family, I am talking about my 4 older siblings who I have spent every Christmas for the last 47 years with. (With exception of 1 or 2 with some, as they were overseas.) We all say Christmas Day is not the same unless we are together!!

We surround ourselves with all our children as well, and even though most of them are now adults themselves, they still want to be with us (their parents) on Christmas Day.

We always have a traditional lunch together, swap some pressies then comes a game of backyard cricket, a water fight(weather permitting) and the championship basketball game. As the evening closes in, some of us will leave to visit their in-laws . Some old family friends usually drop in around this time, and we may pick at some left over turkey etc.. together, sing a few songs.

Fatigue usually starts to creep in about 9.00pm, and although I always wish for the day to never end(yes even at my age). it inevitably does. We say grace together every Christmas lunch, and I Thank God every year, that we are all still here together, to see another one in.

I wish you Peace, Joy & a Holy & Happy Christmas with all your loved ones.

With Smiles

Kathryn