Another tradition

This one is not quite as old as the Burning the Clocks I wrote about yesterday.  In fact, it's been going now for 18 years - although the event wasn't held one year along the line.  I'm talking about the Evening of Christmas hosted by our friends Chris and Mrs Chris on a Saturday evening just before Christmas.  The format is that Mrs Chris along with two friends form a trio of piano, flute and cello to provide the music for a selection of carols.  Chris has typed out and printed the words of a good many carols now so we can all sing along - with breaks to recharge our glasses of mulled wine and to enjoy mince pies and sausage rolls and all sorts of other goodies brought along by the guests.  This always marks the start of Christmas for me.


One of the regulars is the Sussex Carol, but not to the standard set by King's College, Cambridge!

On Christmas night all Christians sing 

to hear the news the angels bring; 

on Christmas night all Christians sing 

to hear the news the angels bring: 

news of great joy, news of great mirth, 

news of our merciful King’s birth.

Then why should we on earth be sad, 

since our Redeemer made us glad? 

Then why should we on earth be sad, 

since our Redeemer made us glad, 

when from our sin he set us free, 

all for to gain our liberty? 

All out of darkness we have light,

 which made the angels sing this night; 

all out of darkness we have light, 

which made the angels sing this night: 

“Glory to God and peace to men, 

now and forevermore. Amen.”