Christmas Eve

What a difference a year makes. While sitting in church on Christmas Eve this year I recalled my experience the year before, in 2019. Then I had waited outside St. Thomas’ church, on 5th avenue in New York City, for over an hour in the cold – just to ensure I would have a place to sit. My patience paid off and I had a very nice seat near the front, the church was packed to capacity. The choir and the setting were magnificent. The experience in 2020 could not have been more stark. I attended St. George’s Episcopal Church, in Newburgh. Reservations were required as the number of people allowed in the church is limited, because of COVID. I was one of 9 people who attended the Christmas Eve service – the sanctuary seats hundreds, so sparse doesn’t seem an adequate adjective. Instead of the celebrated choir of the year before, we listened to a recorded version of O Come All Ye Faithful, played on a cell phone, which was positioned near the iPad capturing the service for the church’s at home, Facebook audience. Which experience was better? Neither, they both have their time and place.

“Do you know what really makes a man free? – Will, your own will, and it gives power which is better than liberty. Know how to want, and you’ll be free, and you’ll be master too.” A quote from Ivan Turgenev in First Love. Despite the ravages and restrictions of COVID. I knew what I wanted for Christmas Eve. A lovely dinner, in our comfortable home, and a church service no matter the conditions.

One of my friends asked me to share photos of my home at Christmas. Andrew and I decorated the house weeks ago. For someone from Burma, Christmas is still a holiday to observe and try to understand. The disparate and often disjointed symbols of our western culture, that we grow up with from childhood, the special foods, ornaments, and traditions. Each family has their own variation, borrowed from their heritage, family practice, regional differences and lately the whims of our electronically tuned in society. Despite the oddity of Christmas for Andrew, we have fun decorating the house and tree. Here are some glimpses of our home.

Some of my favorite ornaments were purchased in Moscow, Russia a number of years ago. The handmade wooden ornaments are beautiful in their simplicity. They depict Russian peasants.

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This year we added a special new ornament on the tree. Andrew loves English Bulldogs, so I found a Bulldog Christmas Ornament.

We have another new ornament this year. My dear friend Sophia, who lives in Munich, Germany, sent us an ornament for the tree. We chose to hang it from the mantel. Germany produces fantastic Christmas ornaments made of tin. These delicate ornaments have been hand painted by local artists for hundreds of years.

I have collected other German tin ornaments. Here is a grouping of pieces, also from Munich.

Many of our Christmas decorations come from abroad. A central part of Christmas is the nativity. A trip to Sienna, Italy yielded this hand carved wooden nativity set, in the baroque style.

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Other wooden ornaments come out of storage for the holidays. I purchased the small German angel at a second hand store when I was around 8 years old. The German angel is cruder in its carving than the Italian angel, but I like the way the craftsperson has captured the expression of the angel.

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Music is a common theme for Christmas and I like the nostalgia of these porcelain figures.

Christmas Eve is celebrated, in many cultures, more than Christmas Day. I planned a Christmas Eve dinner and hoped to free up Christmas Day for a long hike (little did I know the rain would wash out that plan).

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Lithophanes from Bernardaud provided a nice soothing candle light for the table.

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Our menu was simple: homemade parmesan, rosemary crackers topped with mushrooms as an appetizer, gourmet 4 cheese mac and cheese for the main course and a yule log for dessert.

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Our dinner was planned for only Andrew and myself. While COVID has made entertaining guests impossible we did not want it to stop us from enjoying ourselves. Shortly before dinner, we discovered our neighbor would be spending the evening alone. Adding a third place was an easy last minute adjustment. We could share the richness of our table.

This is what Christmas is all about – sharing. Whether it is sitting with 9 other people in an empty church celebrating the birth of Christ, posting photos of our decorations, or sharing our dinner – whatever we have to offer we want to share. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas.