Dean’s Blog – December 2016 Pre Christmas
Tamil Nativity: Wednesday 21st December 2016
It was a joy to watch the Tamil congregation’s Nativity Play. The children performed with great confidence, the script had been written by Pushpa and the songs put together by Robert and Viji had made the colourful costumes and several others were involved in helping the children – a real community event.
Ecumenical Conference of Charity Christmas Dinner and Party: Monday 19th December 2016
It is always fun to join the ECC Christmas party. As a group they do so much fine work in all sorts of
ways to respond to the needs of poor in Bahrain, but they also enjoy a good party: carols, quizzes, sketches as well as good food. 
We had been instructed to come in rainbow colours and they had a sketch that highlighted the arguments and antagonism between the different colours, as each one boasted their distinctive merits, until a thunderstorm came and their realization of their need of one another. We took Saskia and Gemma home to Budaiya afterwards and did a detour to show them the amazing Christmas lights at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
Inspire Christmas Concert: Wednesday 14th December 2016
The Cathedral was ringing with the sounds of Arabic drums to begin the Inspire Christmas Concert, mostly young people of many different nationalities singing Christmas carols. It was impressive seeing young people singing so well with such enthusiasm and lack of self-consciousness and it was good for the Cathedral to host the various choirs that come together under Inspire. Congratulations to them and to Lydia who directs them with such enthusiasm.
Nine Lessons and Carols: Sunday 18th December 2016
Probably joining many churches worldwide, we held our Nine Lessons and Carols on the Sunday a week before Christmas Day. Readers included the British Ambassador, Simon Martin and Captain Tom Guy, Royal Navy, as well as those from our very international community. A group from our Tamil congregation sung a Christmas Tamil lullaby, the Bahrain Barbershop Quartet sang O Holy Night and the Manama singers sang two Latin carols. It was a much appreciated service and finished off with mulled wine and mince pies.
Christmas assembly at St Christopher’s School: Wednesday 14th December 2016
Stephen and I attended the Junior School Christmas Assembly and with Rhona narrating, I
acted out the story of Nicholas Allan’s Jesus Christmas Party, about a grumpy innkeeper who likes nothing better than a good sleep, but he keeps getting woken up in the middle of the night: first by Mary and Joseph, then by Joseph needing a small blanket, then by shepherds, then by three kings and finally by a star and a chorus of angels. As he sleeps at the top of a steep staircase, each time he has to come down the stairs to answer the call of the visitors. But eventually he himself goes “round the back” and his heart is melted by the baby; the last scene is of him waking all the other guests in the inn to come and see, “so no-one got much rest that night”.
After the assembly Year 2’s presented Stephen winter woollies for the seafarers and a wonderfully generous cheque for BD800 for the work of Mission to Seafarers.