Sort of a complex year for Christmas time, what wit hthe birth of Roby’s first cousin. Since my brother is getting here at a real specific time it looks like we’re going to be spending Christmas in Vermont. My family hasn’t done Christmas in the morning for a while. We did it in Montreal in the morning, but then real Christmas would happen at night, back at home. Night is a good time to be having Christmas. Since night, or afternoon, but not morning’s the time for gift giving and family time we’re going to go to Church in the morning. There’s an evening service and meal on Christmas Eve, and I think we’ll go to that too. 

I’d like to invite my family to the service, but it’s far away and early and they don’t really care about this kind of thing. Abby’s a lot more reticent to invite people than I am. We’re both still so early in our time there that we’re self-conscious, inviting people we know feels very vulnerable. 

But I think that vulnerability is well worth it, considering how important the divine liturgy is, and just how much there is to be gained. It has been a pretty life changing thing for us, going to this church, and I hope and expect it to continue to be, more so and more so. 

So I’d have to be disgustingly selfish not to at least extend an invitation. Truthfully if I truly believe what I say I do, I should be doing everything I can to get them in the door. It reminds me a bit of the dangers of serial killers discussed in The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo. He suggests that most of his victims were got by the simple fact that they were unwilling to be rude.

Again, if I believe what I say I do, the risk here is greater than that of merely being killed. But, suffice it to say, I never found that to be the most interesting part of this whole thing. It’s the here and the now, what can be gained in the heart here and now.