|
A time to say "thank you"
Christmas has been a most enjoyable time for all of us. Now it is time to say "thank you" to the many who made it such a pleasure.
First of all, we should like to thank the ladies of The Guild for once more donating our Christmas Tree. We also thank David Shaw and Glen Baillie for decorating it so tastefully.
Our thanks to the congregation for responding so well to the appeal for gifts for children. These gifts were gratefully received and I am sure brought much pleasure to the children who received them.
This year the children of the Sunday School, the Boys' Brigade and the Girls' Brigade took part in the Nativity play called "The Christmas Present". This was much appreciated by the congregation. A big "thank you" to all who took part and thanks too to the Sunday School staff who trained them.
Our thanks, too, to Netta Lithgow, organist in Wrangholm Kirk for training the Joint Choir. Our thanks, too, to all from both congregations who took part.
Thank you very much, Alistair French, for being our good Samaritan on Christmas Eve. Alistair cleared the snow from the car park. It was truly wonderful to have clear pavement on which to drive.
I am quite sure that all who attended the "Blue Christmas Service" for the bereaved were moved by it. The special tree has reminded all of us of those who are no longer with us - some whom we have known and others who are completely unknown but each one is precious to the family.
Last but by no means least our thanks to our minister, Caryl, for all the countless ways in which she made us not only enjoy the services but also for ensuring that we were really celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. The past month has been a particularly busy time for her with so many services between the two churches. Thank you from all the congregation.
White Christmas
Isn't this something you're supposed to dream of?
None of the popular carols or Christmas songs mention the slippy pavements, extended journey times, lack of gritters, frozen pipes or dangerous driving conditions.
Like probably everyone else, I love looking out at the snow when everything is covered in a white blanket and the countryside looks particularly beautiful in these weather conditions but when you have to venture out, it's a different story.
Despite the problems and dangers previously mentioned, it was good to see attendances at all the Christmas services holding up really well, particularly at the Christmas Eve services at Holytown and Wrangholm. These services featured items by the joint choir and thanks should go to Netta Lithgow for rehearsing the choir despite practice time being limited due to the adverse weather conditions.
Maybe one of the Christmas songs for next year will be 'I'm dreaming of a mild dry non-snowy Christmas.'
Carol singing
For the first time, we went carol singing at the Hattonlea residential home. There was a good turnout and it was great to see some folks from our congregation coming along for the first time. Everyone enjoyed participating and I would commend this outing to you for next Christmas.
We sang in three different areas within the complex and the residents and staff made us feel most welcome and provided us with a welcome cup of tea when we had finished. I think everyone whether singing or listening felt a little bit closer to the true meaning of Christmas after this event.
When we met at the car park on the Wednesday evening before Christmas, the snow was really deep and cars were getting stuck and had to be pushed to get them back on to the main road. I could hardly believe it when we turned up on the following night for the Christmas Eve Watchnight Service and it had been all cleared. A bit thank you is due to all those who helped make this happen.
|
