I was joined in the studio by a number of guests today. Rene talked about Christmas dinner on the beach in South Africa as a child. A temperature of 35 degrees and a turkey cooked on a BBQ. Christmas cards would have a traditional snowy scene and she thought these had to have come from the North Pole. She said Christmas was all about spending time with the family and that going to church played a very important part. This was still true today. She particularly related to the modern carol, ‘Mary did you know’, being a mother herself. Jonty and Adrian came in and shared about how hospitality was important to them at Christmas and ensuring that people were not on their own. They has twenty eight people around the Christmas Day dinner table. Adrian is Chaplain at Brentwood school, where there are a number of services and plays for Christmas, emphasising the traditional themes. When he was a curate, his post was at Bath Abbey. Here during the running of the Christmas market, the abbey would hold four services every day between 12 noon and 4p.m. These were short services for shoppers and each service was attended by hundreds of people. A lot of the family unexpectedly turned up and gave us a rendition of “We wish you a happy Boxing Day”! Tim Lee from Brentwood Churches Together talked about a school service at St. Giles church, Mountnessing and how full of joy was the occasion. He also talked about having visited a care home, where the residents had reminisced about Christmases when they were young. He also let slip some unexpected details about the fashion he was wearing in the 1970 when at Christmas he loved the tracks by Boney M. Finally Richard told us about growing up in Norwich and particularly about the winter of 1962/63 and the deep snow. We heard from a family of listeners who were in Perth, Western Australia where they were listening to the show. It was 26 degrees and they were drinking eggnog. They also insisted commenting on the cricket, even when we had specifically asked them not to do so! We also heard from Anna, loving the show and listening in a sunny Portugal. Lisa Harman, a show favourite artist, had been in touch and told about playing at a Christmas service on the Queen Victoria, sailing to the Canary Islands. She had played the piano for the service, which was run by members of the crew and attended by hundreds of passengers. Thanks to all who popped in today and listeners who contacted the programme.
Join me again on Friday evening between 8-10 pm.
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