Christmas Eve Snaps

Below are some snaps I took of my church on Christmas Eve, before the first of two "Lessons and Carols" services that we followed up with a Divine Service this morning. Too bad I never got a picture of myself with my long-sleeved black dress shirt and my purple-and-gold "music" tie! I did, however, get a nice shot of the choir in their holiday best...but I think I may save that one for the church newsletter.






It was a musical extravaganza, with 13 hymns at each service on Christmas Eve (including two sung only by the choir, and several others accompanied by the choir). As for Christmas Day, the choir had a bona fide anthem ("Gentle Mary Laid Her Child"), Pastor sang an aria out of Bach's Christmas oratorio ("Now again upon Thy birthday"), and I sang another ("Grosser Herr und starker Koenig"). The congregation got to sing 3 hymns and hear tons of Christmas-related chorale preludes. So anyone who went away not knowing it was Christmas should have his or her ears checked!