As much as I love Christmas Eve services in general and have fond memories of attending late-night services in Episcopal times past, since attending Roman Catholic churches here in Gilbert I’ve shyed away from them because of the massive crowds they attract – same holds true for the Great Vigils of Easter which I also love. While I think it’s a great problem for churches to have, dealing with the parking and seating logistics that go with large crowds, as someone who really doesn’t like large crowds anymore, I prefer to leave Christmas and Easter Eve services to the masses and try to celebrate them in my own way.

Rather than not partake of any kind of Christmas devotions altogether, this year I decided my prayer grove is going to be the locale for my own Christmas Eve service. While the green and red is not “the holly and the ivy” of Christmas tradition, the green leaves and red flowers of the bougainvillea certainly make for lovely Christmas colors, and the candles I’ve added this year create a celebratory splendor that will only be enhanced by the lovely outside surroundings – together, it’s a lovely Southwest setting for late afternoon Christmas vespers:

Carmelo and the crew have done a great job maintaining the natural arch shape created by the two large bushes growing together, haven’t they?

While every now and then a wayward leaf-blower has resulted in some collateral damage to the statues, it’s nothing that hasn’t been able to be fixed with a little superglue. Just to the left of the bush on the left is the corner where the wall and the side of the house meet, and that’s where I’ve kitty-cornered a lovely little bench perfect for meditating and praying. And later today, that’s where I’ll be saying my own First Vespers of Christmas. A nice way to set the tone for the later celebrations that will go along with the pot roast dinner I’m preparing with all the fixins to make Christmas Eve as joyous and festive a night as possible.