Merry Christmas!!

Go, tell it on the mountains
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountains
That Jesus Christ is born!

Merry Christmas, everybody! And thank you for all Christmas cards, letters and e-mails. I haven't written this year's Christmas letter yet, and I don't know if it will be written either, but I'll at least try to update my blog. I had to make a choice: Should I write it both in Japanese and Norwegian? I chose the middle way - English. Sorry about that...




My sister's cat played hide and seek with me yesterday. After much searching I found it behind the Christmas cards! Obviously a curious cat.




At 4pm today I went to church. Even if people traditionally go to church on Christmas Eve even if they don't go other times of the year, I was surprised to see all the cars lining up far from the church. I had to walk quite a bit from where I parked my car.
When I entered the church, it was full of dressed-up children, young people and adults. Outside church I also met my neighbour at home, who had come home for Christmas. -Did you come a long way? he asked. Afterwards I understood that he thought I had come home from Japan for Christmas. I think I have to meet my neigbours more often...




Wonderful music from the pipe organ with a trumpet.


View from the gallery. It's difficult to take a picture in a big, dark church.




As a postludium the organist played a brilliant arrangement of "Go, tell it on the mountains". I wanted to sing along!

I wish everybody who was in church today could understand what Christmas means and that they could sing the hymns from their heart!

This year there were no presents under the Christmas tree, as the custom is here in Norway. That doesn't mean that there were no presents, but my sister, my brother and I took some food and the Christmas presents to the nursing home where our mom is, and spent Christmas Eve together there.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11