Things I Learned

watching Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve:

1-St. Peter's Basilica is quite possibly the most beautiful place of worship on the planet.

2-There is a LOT of audience participation.

3-The Catholics are really efficient at distributing the sacrament. (Seriously, 10,000 people in 5-7 minutes...impressive.)

4-The Pope is not looking well.

Every year I mull over actually attending midnight mass at the local Catholic church. I've never actually attended (I'm intimidated) and generally I don't get home in time to catch the broadcast, but something just seems right about having a worship service on Christmas Eve. In the LDS church the Christmas program (generally the ward choir sings several hymns and scripture detailing the birth of Christ and his ministry is read) is done the Sunday before Christmas. I've always thought that if we want to refocus attention on the spiritual aspect of the holiday, we should worship on the holiday.

My Christmas was great...lots of family, lots of stories, a lot of little kids running around under foot.

One of our Christmas traditions is that my father always reads the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke before we were allowed to open a present on Christmas Eve. I am amazed at how short the story actually is. When we were young it seemed like it went on and on and on...now it is amusing to see all my neices and nephews wiggle and squirm while Grandpa gets out the big white Bible and reads the story. It was really a great Christmas, crowded, but great. It was the first time in a couple of years that the whole family has been together for Christmas.