Two weeks ago I attended a candlelight Christmas carol service in a place where there has been a church since c.1120. Temple Church began as place of refuge for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem when it was first founded according to several websites, by the Knights Templar. This link has some great information if you would like to know more about Temple church.
Even though I was at the back of the church with my camera in silent mode, my friend’s son was curious about what I was doing.
Afterwards, I posed for a quick photo with my friend Lara who had invited me to the service. I had been very interested when she first asked me, but as Sunday evening approached, I began to come up with reasons why I should give it a miss. It had been a tough week and I felt fairly antisocial preferring the quiet of home. In the end, I went with her family and I was so glad I did.
I would have missed this sweet photo of the children helping to put out the last of the candles just before we walked out in the dark. You cannot see it, but there is a young girl holding up the boy straining to reach the light and this combined effort and gentle way they took turns, was fitting close to a lovely service of worship. Here’s a lovely video if you’d like to see Temple in the daylight.
The clock has rolled over into a new day, it’s Christmas Day, although it is still night and I am soon ” for bed ” as some say here.
If you celebrate Christmas, I wish you a merry one.
Gifts Of The Journey 
And a very Merry Christmas to you too. Thanks for the smiles.
Very lovely!! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Elizabeth. I’ll look at the video and check the links when I have more time. I’m off to a Candlelight Christmas Eve service at my church in Clare, Michigan, USA, but had to open your current posting. God bless
Kalamazoo Sue
These are lovely posts.
Wow, Elizabeth. And it’s all on our doorstep!
I must go to the carol service next year … I adore carols by candlelight. (I’m used to them in York Minster where they light 1000 candles and everyone claps when the candlelighter finishes lighting them just as folk are coming in for the carols).
The video was wonderful, the church is so tastefully decorated. Did you make the video?
I hope you and John have a wonderful Christmas Day.
Temple is a lovely little church and something to see even in the daytime, Angela. I wish I could take credit for the video, but it was not done by me. John and I did have a sweet Christmas although we were on our own this year. That was not too bad because not long after the Christmas leftovers eaten, we were off to London for the last few days of 2013 and on to Prague to ease into the first week of the new year. Reentry was a bugger when came home due to freezing pipes in my house in the US, but I’m beginning to settle in to 2014. Hope your new year is off to a good start and you’ll be ready for some walks soon.
Hi Elizabeth – so jealous you got to Prague! It is on my bucket list to spend Christmas there.
Frozen pipes in the US must be so worrying when you are so far away but at least you avoided the polar vortex.
It’s been on my list for some time too and John, darling man that he is, gave me a trip for Christmas. We went by EasyJet and I can recommend a clean lower cost hotel in the old town convenient to much of the parts that give it such atmosphere. I’ll be saying more on my blog if I can get myself together enough to post something soon.
I took loads of photos which I’ve been sorting through and we’ve been all go here too repairing old family furniture that came over in December. With the ongoing redecoration of that room, John has taken to calling it The American room. Makes us sound a bit like a guest house and with a second guest room being redone as well (formerly know as John’s study) we’ll should be ready for some family and friends by the end of February. You live so close, we really should get together for a walk and a cup of something after. 🙂
A lovely way to start my day…thanks Elizabeth. As they say in Hawaii….Mele Kalikimaka!
Merry Christmas to you too. Like you, I’m not at my most social but I’ve decided to “drink the Koolade” and accept invitations from friends. I loved the photo showing the ceiling beams. You can see the origins are with boat-builders who lent their skills to build a church. Snuffing candles was an honor we took turns with after Sunday school. Memories from simpler days:)
I so appreciate the simple understated dress of Europeans… this service, the candles and the children lighting the candelabra seem so timeless. Beautiful. Pensive. Of the season. -Renee
Sorry to be so late leaving a response to the folks kind enough to leave a comment on my Christmas post, but I have been on the road a bit and then snowed under by life stuff on my return. I stink at playing catchup right down to even reading the blogs I follow, but I do appreciate those who take time to comment.
Our house is an untidy mess right now which as we are redecorating two bedrooms since my furniture shipment arrived from the US a few days before Christmas. Disorganization puts me off my writing and blogging, and comments end up at the end of my big todo list along with haircuts and other things.
I’m afraid I’ve always been a poor correspondent as long time friends will confirm and while I’d like to say that getting better at it is on my list of resolutions for 2014, I’ll be honest here and say, I did not make any this year.
I’m just looking forward to seeing how things unfold and trying to worry less than I usually do about the things I can’t control.
I hope your new year is off to a great start and you’ll stop by GOTJ when you have time.