Once

One of the great pleasures of Christmas is carols.

My ever-always favourite is Once in Royal David's City.

But only when sung at King's College, beginning with a single boy treble and building, building through every verse (no skipping) to the whole chapel-full, choir and congregation, the organ going like billy-oh -

When like stars, his children crowned
All in white, shall wait around.

That's a great Christmas moment.

I finally found a CD with this on it - every verse, the treble, the choir, the congregation, the lot. It's been on high rotation. Wonderful stuff. Strong, true, enduring, powerful.

It's how they always begin the annual broadcast of carols from King's, so if you haven't got it on CD, you can get your fix when they show it, as they always do, on the teev at Christmastime.

As to other Christmas planning...

• cards? nope, not done yet
• tree? nope, still in the box
• decorating? 3 decorations on the mantelpiece is a start...isn't it?
• lights? this weekend, definitely
• presents? some...
• baking? not yet
• Christmas angel scheme at work? Yup, all organised and starts next week.

It's a start. A modest start.