OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN CRETE

With all the ingredients that made up Christmas this year – far away from most of the family, poor weather and meagre funds to spend on presents – it could have been a miserable time but wasn't!

First of all, we took our mulled wine down to the cafeneon on Christmas Eve as a little Christmas warm up for our kind friends there and although they were not used to wine which did not accompany a meal, they were reassured when I served it in small coffee cups and it came with a tray of cake and mince pies. However, they could not accept even this tiny offering without giving back a bag of oranges and a bag of eggs. How they would have coped with a full-blown Christmas present is difficult to say because I came to the conclusion that it would just make things even more difficult – so I still have a bag of small items bought at the Christmas Bazaar to think about later.

I asked about the start time of the service in the village church on Christmas morning. They were a little vague about this – Angeliki said 7.00 a.m., Costas said 8.00 a.m. (or when the bell rings (“… hear it not Duncan ...”) – so when the Church bell started to ring at 7.10 a.m. I scrambled into clothes and rushed up to church thinking that it all would be happening already. I was the only person in the congregation and had my pick of chairs so sat at the back to see what would happen. Over the next THREE HOURS people started to arrive (largely when they felt like it) lit candles, kissed icons, greeted one another, spoke on mobile phones, stood up and sat down a lot while one, two and then three people chanted from books at the front. Every so often the priest appeared from behind the screen and did something for a minute or two and then disappeared again where from the “noises off” I began to wonder if he was looking for a screwdriver at the bottom of a very full metal tool box. Also, the red damask curtain over the doorway in the front iconostasis kept twitching and being poked from the back and it reminded me of a school play when there were lots of children on a stage waiting to start – except it was only puppet theatre size. You will gather from this that I was way out of my comfort zone and trying to piece together a liturgy from the odd snatches of words that I could hear – kyrie eleison, cosmos, Jesu, Christos and Alleluia! Feeling very much as if I was in the land of C S Lewis (ie. Narnia when it was always winter and never Christmas), it was very cheering when Father Christmas arrived in the guise of the priest who was now wearing a long red cape and carrying an incense burner to which lots of sleigh bells had been attached. (that was what the toolbox sounds had been all about) !  Reassuring sounds of Amins, amen, Amin started to happen and the chanters at the front snapped all the books shut and ladies began to pick up their enormous handbags. Alleluia indeed – we had friends arriving for lunch and I had been there, trapped behind all the late arrivals for hours, thinking that I could easily slip out when there was a natural break … all my assumptions had been WRONG! I really did miss the good of C of E, a few old fashioned carols, a few quiet moments for my own prayers and the familiar lessons of the nativity – although Radio 4 Carols from Cambridge had been a lovely start to Christmas the day before.

The dog's loved cheese straws!

Puppy-dog found a nice spot close to the fire

The next ingredients to our Christmas pudding were the arrival of Anna with a lovely fresh turkey to get quickly in the oven, and Nigel and Maria with a box of hard-to-come-by crackers, mountains of bags and bundles and their three dogs. Our friends had hoped to leave their rescue dogs with neighbours for the day but with a new – not yet house trained puppy – this had not been possible. So with a few power cuts, a kitchen full of doggies sniffing tantalising smells of turkey cooking and a puppy who kept wanting to stand on our feet while we were wielding pans of hot stuff – it could have been a disaster but somehow wasn't. The dogs soon settled down, we did play all our silly games, had a fantastic turkey dinner and lots of good cheer.

We were delighted with our "loo warming" present!

Our friends are very creative and brought several home made items, good ideas and kept us laughing while Anna firmly insisted that she did not want to join in the game and then kept joining in anyway, despite all her protests. It all worked very well and not a TV set in sight! The best idea was a jam jar full of extra one line cracker jokes which Nigel had noted down over the previous few months and put on slips of paper to share at the table. 10 out of 10 for creative ideas! Maria kept every scrap of cracker and wrapping paper to re-use for collages, paper sculpture and origami artwork. She is sought out for her handiwork where they live and makes a small living from making fine crochet, needlework and woven items also giving lessons from time to time. It is great to spend time discussing art and crafty things with Maria and a real shame that they live such a distance from us.

Extra Christmas Cracker jokes were a good idea!

Sadly everyone had to leave quite early in the morning and left us with a house full of food which we are trying to either eat, share or conserve in some way or another! We have had lots of skype contacts with family in the UK and Oceania – a great comfort in the depths of winter and a wonder to catch glimpses of their hot summer. We are off now to get some logs in and keep the home fires burning for the next few days. Chronia Polla and God bless us one and all!