The best ever ...

That's what they said, the lovely people who packed Holy Trinity Church this afternoon for the carol service - moved from its more usual Advent 4 slot to avoid a clash with a concert in the town. And I mean packed - there was standing room only, there were over 100 people if you include the choir (8+1) and the children who were involved in such activities as creating a massive paper chain and intermittently ferrying the Holy Family, Magi, camels and the like from the back of the church to liturgically sensitive spots that would - to the liturgically minded - avoid any suggestion that the miraculous birth had somehow come early.

In the photo, the final hymn has been sung with incredible gusto, the bubble machine is pumping myriad bubbles from the top of the organ pipes, and the organist has launched into an improvisation on a Palestinian Christian chant. As Dean Andrew (left) had told us, the collection was in aid of Embrace the Middle East.

A good afternoon, I think - a good afternoon.