The Holiday that was:

The Holiday that was:

-My sister got in late Tuesday night, following which she and I went to the big fancy Presbyterian church Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols service, which was preceded by a concert of Vivaldi's Gloria (see pic). It's a very pretty church, with a painted ceiling and walls (you couldn't see the stained glass at night so well).

They started with Once in Royal David's City, obs. Had a few interesting things I hadn't heard, o/w familiar carols, some Messiah excerpts, some Lauridsen (seemingly mandatory the last 10 years in any church choir). There was an interesting arrangement of the words to one of the verses of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. Either somebody had a very weird printing error, or the Presbyterian hymnal rearranges that one verse, for some reason. They closed with everyone singing Silent Night while holding lit candles with all the other church lights off, which was cool.

Then we tried not to get blown away by the 60 mph wind gusts getting to the car and getting home.

-Wednesday, after my sister's migraine backed off, she and I and my niece, her kid, went to the movies. We saw Into the Woods, and Big Hero 6. When we left there were police everywhere, which was weird. However, it turns out that is apparently something they have done for the past 5-10 years. That is, the evening of Christmas Day they have a large police presence at all the movie theaters because pre-2010 there were apparently a couple of years when violence occurred on xmas night at the movie theaters. (It must have been pretty violent; they were wearing vests and had guns.) Fun times!

So that was that. My mom is finally recovering from the flu, which she kindly gave my father, who has been suffering with it for the past several days. Sharing is caring. (I am still trying to avoid catching it.) We know she is better, because she is telling everybody what to do and how to do it. Which is why my niece, sister, and I all tried to hide upstairs last night. Family. Woo-hoo!