It's Friday afternoon, and the children have come home for the start of two and a half weeks of Christmas holiday.

John and Rose have had a very busy, Christmasy week at school. They've watched the infant's Nativity Play, sung a carol concert in school, met Father Christmas and had class parties. On Thursday morning, they had a school carol concert and Christingle in St Clements Church. Cindy, Lance and I all went to listen/watch - Mary had been going to go, but had to finish an essay for her course for that afternoon! The concert (not a service - even though it was in a church - there was one sort of prayer) was very good, excellent singing, brass and woodwind and the excellent Scarcroft drummers. It is a very good school for music, I think and Mrs Cornhill must have contributed a lot to that.

Toby's school, on the other hand, has been determinedly unChristmasy. I think he said that there is a Christmas tree up, and the staff did a panto for pupils this afternoon, but that's it. They've done all the usual end of term stuff - videos, quizzes etc and then he got out early this afternoon. When he got home we went off to get a Christmas tree, which is now filling the corner of our front room waiting to be decorated tomorrow.