In The Bleak Mid-winter

As the forecast for tonight is between –4 and –7C, I think the word “bleak” is permissible. Sudden, too. I was walking home at about half past five this evening and it was slightly frosty. An hour and a half later and there was thick ice on the pavements! Scary.

Funny day today. Yesterday there was a definite Christmas buzz around, even work felt Christmassy. Today, not so much. There’s been a subdued air about and I don’t know why.

In the hunt for a little Christmas spirit to match my own (which had become sorely tried over the course of the day) I set out with the intention of finding a Church service tonight. I envisaged warmth and light and singing and families and just generally Christmas. What I found was a Cathedral with the gates securely locked. I’d been told that there was a church about 30 minutes walk away that was nice so I set off for that, not quite realising how slippery the pavements were. No, I didn’t fall over but I had to moderate my speed a fair bit, with the result that their service had started when I got there. At least I think it had.

I’d kind of expected that a church on Christmas Eve would be full of light and voices whereas this one had the lights turned on but seemed quiet apart from that. I noticed a handful of people outside the door and asked as politely as I could whether or not the service had started. I wasn’t really expecting the answer I got. I don’t intend to quote it word for word here as this is a family show but suffice to say it referred to my nationality and compared me to an area of the female anatomy as well as enquiring why I was interested. I left.

It’s no big deal – I’ve been called worse. I was slightly saddened that it happened on a church doorstep on Christmas Eve, though. It kind of killed off my desire for company as well, so I made my careful way back home and put the radio on. I’m now sat here very early on Christmas morning listening to Carols. As much as I’d like to linger here a while longer, with the sweet sounds of the choir ringing out, some of us are at work in the morning…

Merry Christmas, everyone.