Towards Christmas

This past week has been the last week of school before Christmas. It's been hectic. Last Friday Bridgend visited our Kingscavil Church for their Christmas Show. And this week, on Wednesday, it was the turn of Winchburgh Primary School to visit Winchburgh Church for their Christmas Show.

I enjoyed hearing the children reading and acting the Christmas Story, and singing the story too. Amidst all my output about Christmas - it was nice to have some input.

On Wednesday evening we had the P7's Christmas Party. It was nice that the class invited my Supervisor and I to attend. It was an indication that they appreciated our input to their classwork during the term. And it turned out that we were the only adult males there!

The children had organised in advance who would be their partners for each of the dances. So I was glad there was no quarreling over would be my dance partner. That would have been a first!

We danced several Scottish dances, most of which I knew, and some that were new to me. But even the familiar dances had some variations. For the children are not too keen to get too close to their dance partner. So some of the twirly bits are at arms length, instead of with arms around!

I must admit, that as I was dancing with my 11-year-old partners I was working quite hard to make sure that I wasn't making a fool of myself in front of these children! Perhaps it was just as well that none of my church training colleagues were there to see me!

And another thought that flitted through my head that evening was the similarities and differences between this party, and last week's Senior Citizen's Christmas Party. For on that occasion I was also dancing with some of the ladies present.

It was quite strange to be remembering dancing with the ladies who were 20 to 30 years older than me. And at the same time to be dancing with young ladies who were 40 years younger than me. No wonder I made the odd mis-step!

But the Orcadian Strip-the-Willow certainly eliminated any confusion I may have had about which party I was at. I thought I was quite fit - but by the end of the seond time through the dance I was totally exhausted! Mind you so were the youngsters - and I had at least managed to retain my enthusiasm until the end - unlike some of them!

And the week was beautifully rounded off by the Church Youth Group's Panto Visit to see Sleeping Beauty at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline. There were forty of us all, including leaders and friends, and even my wife was able to come along.

It was a splendid production and there was no danger of any of us falling asleep ourselves. Mind you we were quite late home - for the strong winds caused the Forth Bridge authority to ban all vehicles except cars from crossing the bridge - and we were on the wrong side!

So we had to make the long detour up to Kincardine. It was funny to be back there - for that was where my first Probationers' Conference was back in September. The new bridge wasn't open then - but it is now. We didn't get to go across it, but we could see the traffic using it in both directions, as we crossed on the old bridge.

And now we come to the Christmas Week itself. I'll be leading two services tomorrow - one at 10 in the morning, and another with Nine Lessons and Carols, at 3 in the afternoon, both at Kingscavil Church, just East of Linlithgow. And our Sunday School Nativity Service will be at Winchburgh at 11:30 in the morning.

Next week we have another Carol Service on Monday evening at 7:30 at Winchburgh. And on Christmas Eve we have a services at Winchburgh at 7:30pm, and at Abercorn and Bridgend (New Mission Hall) both at 11:30pm.

And finally on Christmas Day itself, we'll enjoy a Christmas Communion service at Abercorn at 9:30am. After which we'll head home to enjoy the usual Christmas festivities - if I don't end up collapsing from exhaustion in front of the fire!

I hope you all enjoy the run up to Christmas - and if I don't get the chance to tell you again before then - have a Happy Christmas - yourself, your family, and all your friends.