Letters From London: Hey! Let's Celebrate Boxing Day!

Well, here we are in England, experiencing an English Christmas. However, it will be in a small flat, without a tree and a fireplace and our family all around us. But, you know, that’s okay. This has been and will be our grand adventure. We are looking forward to this time. It will be good for us and, hopefully, will be good for our family. On Monday, which is our prep-day, we were taking the train into London. Sorry it wasn’t meant to be. The weather has been completely rotten and we will be going another time.

Tuesday, I AM GETTING A HAIRCUT! It’s been too long between cuts and I am ready to admit that I’ve have been exceedingly spoiled in the past. Holly, my daughter, is so close and I can just hop into the car and drive to her salon for a quick makeover. Let me tell you, I will NEVER take her for granted again! Hope that makes you happy, girl. You are a regular life-saver.

Tuesday is also Christmas Eve (just in case you didn’t already know). We will be having a fun breakfast, courtesy of the Christensen’s. They are fixing biscuits and sausage gravy, that’s SOS for all you military guys, with hash browns etc. Then in the late afternoon we are getting together for an early Christmas dinner. Gammon (Ham) and all the fixings. I’m am, again, doing the rolls. We will be traveling up to Nottingham to see the Turner’s and probably see a wonderful English Christmas there. I can’t wait. As many of you know, I will be turning the big 65 on Christmas day. Around here, you have to be at least 65 to have any creditability. If you are under that age you are just a kid—really. I need to tell you of an observation that our fellow temple worker, Steve Littlefield, said the other day, when he had had enough of serving with people who are mostly deaf, use canes, are a little stooped over and have a lot of senior moments. He said: “This is like working in a nursing home, not a temple.” However, I want to be quick to add that we really do love the people we serve with, all the time. And, we are just as bad as they are, most of the time.

Now, on to Boxing Day. (Click on the "Boxing Day" link for more info) This is a day that all the English tell me is just another Christmas Day. It stems from a very old tradition (traditions are very important to these people), in which the master of the manor would let his servants leave the day after Christmas to go and see their families. He would also give them a gift to celebrate the season. It would be put into a box for them to take to their homes. Thus, we have Boxing Day. It is considered a national holiday, I think.

News Alert!!

We’ve had to almost cancel our Christmas Eve Breakfast and Dinner. The weather here has been awful for the whole weekend. High winds and lots of rain (we’re talking buckets and buckets of it). When we got up on Christmas Eve the whole bottom floor of the Accommodation Centre was completely flooded. X-nay on the breakfast and the dinner because our meeting/dining room is down there. The organizers have decided to hold it in the Lodge. Everyone is pitching in to do the cooking etc.

Garden path submerged in water

Streams overflowed their banks

Temple reflection pond overflowed

Small streams became rivers

New ponds of water appeared

Trees down everywhere

Damage caused by Christmas Eve winds and rain

Christmas Decorations blown over

"New" Manor House pond

By the time you read this post, we will have had our Christmas and talked to everyone to wish them our best. And that is what we wish for all. Peace, happiness, good health and a very, very Merry Christmas. The English say Happy Christmas, so we will wish one of them for you too.

Lots of love: Niel and Carolee (aka) Granny and Grumps

PS: And a very happy, happy Birthday to my darling twin sister, Holly!