Candlelit Christmas

I'm pretty sure that Dandelionslayer and I are not alone, among Mormons, in feeling a bit of a fascination with the candlelight Christmas Eve services held in other churches.  Not that we've ever been to one.  We're usually busy spreading good cheer and cookies to friends and neighbors on Christmas Eve.  And the LDS Church has a strict rule against lighting candles in the buildings, for safety reasons.  Still, a few candles might have come in handy at church on Christmas morning.  For, lo and behold, the electricity went out soon after the meeting began.

We were not left completely in the dark, of course.  The wind that must have caused the damage had blown the clouds away, so the windows at the front of the chapel provided some illumination.  Strategically placed emergency lights kept the rest of the room dimly lit, perhaps at a candle-like level.  Sitting near the front, we could hear the speaker.  And the power returned before our choir numbers.

It was not so at home.  We opened the curtains to let in the fitful sunshine, and enjoyed the quiet (broken only by a neighbor's generator).  The boys played nicely with their gifts, and it was a pleasant afternoon.  Of course, it gets dark early this close to the solstice.  The dimming sky sent the boys scrambling for flashlights.  I wore a headlamp as I grilled a few slices of ham, and boiled potatoes on a butane stove.  I'm so glad it wasn't raining then.  We managed to have most of the planned feast, and we ate it by candlelight.

Everyone loved it.  They were less interested in the opportunity to wash the dishes by hand and lamplight, but fortunately the power came back before we had to resort to that extreme measure.

I am so grateful for the true light that comes from our Savior, that lights our way through this dark world, and gives us warmth and peace.