Mewwy Quist-mas, Hayey!

Christmas’ 2003 (Germany), 2005 (Kyrgyzstan), and 2009/10 (Cooke City) are hard to forget, and now Christmas 2011 (Oxford) is added to the list.  No Christmas is easy when away from family, but this, I think, was one of the hardest.  Perhaps it’s because it has been three years in a row.  Or perhaps it’s because its just another sign of an unsettled life.  I’m not sure.  What I do know is that had not not been for two of my new friends and two old friends, Christmas in the UK would have been far less special. 

Meet my two new friends, Norah and Harriet.   Norah, and her mummy and daddy, I knew back in Massachusetts at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, but little Harriet I’ve only now just met.  Norah was about six months old when I left MA – just a baby in every way.  Oh, but they change quickly!  She is now a highly reputed Oxford tour guide.

These two faces greeted me on Christmas morning.  What more could a person ask for?  Shrieks of “Mewwy Quist-mas, Hayey!  Mewwy Quist-mas!" from Norah, and grins a mile wide from gentle Harriet. 

Here’s one of my favorite images of gentle Harriet on Christmas Eve.

And then there was Oxford… a beautiful city of cathedrals and spires, turrets and gargoyles.  It seems that I went at the wrong time if I was hoping to enter into any buildings, since the majority of the colleges were closed for the holidays.  No matter, Norah gave me a great walking tour of the city center and made sure I was very aware of everything of great importance, including the “yibrary” which she “yoves.”  I was also able to walk around the Ashmolean Museum (Britain's first museum) and see the pub where the Inklings met, including C.S. Lewis (famous Christian author) and J. R. R. Tolkien (author of the Lord of the Rings series). 

This, of course, is a picture of a postcard.  But if it’s been a while (if ever) that you’ve thought about Oxford, England, here’s a fantastic reminder  

And here’s a quick video of Oxford from St. Michaels Tower, the oldest structure in Oxford, dating back to 1060

Christmas 2011 – UK style.