They are old enough now to know quite a few Christmas carols, and enjoy singing both the quieter and more joyous ones.
In days gone by we most often had the chance to attend the medieval Oberufer Christmas plays. They always brought a quiet and reverent upliftment. This year we didn't get the chance, but we did have the grace of attending an Advent spiral, accompanied by harp music.
As our two younger grandsons will be away from home for Christmas, I'm sending them each a special card, for the younger, Fra Angelico's 'Flight into Egypt' and the older, Bernardo Luini's Madonna and Child.
Why am I choosing these paintings from the old masters? Well, children today are increasingly exposed to screen time during the day. Many of the images they see are ugly, even hideous, and often frightening. And the trouble is, they'll take them into sleep with them. So, I thought, it's good if they can have a card to look at before they turn off the light or blow out the candle. Then maybe they can sleep peacefully and truly benefit from this holy time of the year.
