Christmas Carol Service

It was freezing cold today in Oxford. Even though I was wearing gloves, they didn't seem to work so well.

On such a night, I had a very good experience as I joined a Christmas carol service at the ancient Normanchurch in Binsey village. We gathered together in front of a pub in Oxford and did a candle-lit walk from there to the church. We walked on a quiet narrow path beside the river in a dark for a while. The coldness made the candle fire look very beautiful.

When I started to really feel the cold, we arrived the church. The church was very small. The priest explained that it dated back from the 12th century. There was no heating equipment installed, so it was still very cold inside. Likewise, there was no light in the church. Instead, numbers of candles were set so that we could see faces and read the words of the carols.

While I was listening to the priest, I just imagined that people in the 12th century had also been praying in the church in the coldness and in the darkness. I felt like I was sitting right next to people in old days, and then I broke out in goosebumps. I wasn't sure if that was because of the coldness or some spirituality. Anyway, that was a really good experience.

At the end of the day when I came back home, I started coughing. I hope it won't get worse.