Christmas Woodcut

This is a woodcut, done by Elenka, of the two churches on the hill in downtown Gorham. It was our first Christmas card together. On most Christmas Eves, we usually attend the service at the First Parish Congregational Church, depicted here with the clock tower. However, I've always been intrigued by the church on Congress Street that the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's family attended. So last night, we ventured out in the cold to the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Portland for their Christmas Eve candlelight service. What was the service like? I mean no disrespect here, but throw in a pinch of Sesame Street, a dash of Woodstock, a smidgen of Harry Potter and a cupful of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", and I think you'd have the recipe. I mean, the carols were nice. The flickering candlelight during "Silent Night" was beautiful, and the tenor's rendition of "O Holy Night" concluding the service made for a wonderful ending, as we walked down the stone front steps. Needless to say, we won't be in attendance here next year though. Maybe the Cathedral for Midnight Mass? St. Luke's for their candlelight service and carols? Time will tell.

Big day for us today. We have 12 over for family, stories, toasts, dinner and lots of laughter! And now that I think about it---  they'll be liberal and healthy chunks of sesame street, woodstock, potter and a lot of the cuckoo's nest in evidence, if history plays any part of this gathering.

ps. It's official! It's 7:42 AM, and it's snowing steadily outside our back windows! In the true Sesame Street tradition, can you say White Christmas? I KNOW you can!

Enjoy the day, however you observe it. Merry Christmas to all. Peace.