Christmas Eve
We had our Christmas feast on Christmas Eve followed by a Christmas Eve service at the church. There were about 30 of us. The choir sang "On This Christmas Night", "Mary's Little Boy Child", and "In the Bleak Midwinter". The service was very simple with scripture read by the youngest members, interspersed with music, either from the choir or with everyone singing traditional carols. At the end we each held a lit candle and quietly sang "Silent Night". Afterwards we enjoyed cookies and punch. I feel very fortunate that I am a member of this small country church.
Christmas Day
Gavin came last night and was joined this morning by Jessica. Owen and Sarah arrived mid-morning. We had our traditional Christmas breakfast followed by present opening!
So, you're wondering if you read a previous post, just what was that surprise gift John had gotten for me? It was a wireless color printer/scanner/fax. I had told him I'd wanted to be able to access my color printer now that we've gone wireless but instead I got a new printer. (My birthday gift this year from John was a plane ticket for Jack to come visit us sometime this year. My anniversary gift was a portable GPS so I won't get lost. He always saves the romantic gifts for Valentine's Day.) I also received a candle, a homemade bread, and a knitting pattern a day calendar. My favorite gift was a Bird Songs book. This is the description from Amazon Books:
"Drawing from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North American birds including the rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker in a stunning new format. Renowned bird biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs. Lavish full-color illustrations accompany each account, while a sleek, built-in digital audio player holds 250 corresponding songs and calls. In his foreword, North American bird expert and distinguished natural historian Jon L. Dunn shares insights gained from a lifetime of passionate study. Complete with the most up-to-date and scientifically accurate information, Bird Songs is the first book to capture the enchantment of these beautiful birds in words, pictures, and song. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, located in Ithaca, New York, is a nonprofit institution focused on birds and whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab is the major source of sound recordings of birds for research, education, conservation, the media, and commercial products."
I love watching birds and the idea that I'll now be able to recognize them by their songs as well is exciting.
I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven. ~ Emily Dickenson
