A big thank you to everyone who helped get things ready for Christmas. The cathedral looked stunning, the choir sang magnificently throughout and everything that was supposed to happen did happen. Like others (Gadgetvicar and +David amongst them), I can report that numbers were up. Indeed, they were up significantly for all the services over Christmas. At Midnight Mass, we had to bring extra chairs in.

Favourite moments for me were:

• The arrival of the Magi – a couple of groups of Chinese students turned up at midnight mass, some of whom had never been to a Christian service before. They gazed and gazed in wonder. Not the first time I have known this happen.
• The anthem at midnight mass – the one about it being so wonderful that even the animals could worship. All was still, the lights were lowered and everyone had their own little light shining in the darkness. (Who needs to go to a Barry Manilow concert?).
• The person who murmured, “Thank you father, thank you for the maniple…” thus proving what we have known all along – that the maniple is an evangelistic tool of the first order.
• “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree” at the Carol Service. And no, I don’t know what it means, but it brings a happy tear to the eye.