The Busiest and Best Weekend of the Year!

Amanda Steinhardt and Jody Millis were on top of window arrangements.
What a wonderfully busy weekend we had! It all started with the greening of the church on Friday. The crowd was looking a little sparse when the Angelus bells rang at 9:00 a.m., but before we knew it, the treat table was laden with bagels and danishes and donuts (oh my!), and there were helping hands all over the narthex and sanctuary. And well before the Angelus bells rang again at noon, the trees were lit, the garland was hung, and blue-bowed wreaths punctuated each column. Thank you to everyone who helped out––and to the Flower Guild for leading the troops!
On Saturday, a wonderful mix of parishioners old and new filled the rectory to the brim, gathering in small and large groups inside and out, downstairs and up, and even spilling out onto the second-floor portico. There were fewer comments about the egg nog this year (which was compared to jet fuel last year and came with a tongue-in-cheek warning not to consume near open flame), so we’re either getting used to it or someone decided we needed to back off a little. The weather was ideal for an indoor/outdoor fête: cool enough that we could keep our jackets on without overheating, but not so cold that we couldn’t venture away from the outdoor heaters.
And the gentle mist that arrived at the end was so gentle, in fact, that it felt more like a spa treatment than any kind of damper on our fun. Thank you to the Millers for hosting!
Lily O’Dell with her father, the Rev. Andrew O’Dell, and his go-to drop-in accessory: his top hat.
The Rev. Bill Christian (in his special green Christmas jacket) welcomes Vereen and Dick Coen to the drop-in.
Sallie Smith, Kate Panizza, Alexandra Panaretos, and Abby Dallery.
Then Sunday was Lessons and Carols, of course. This service is a parish favorite for good reason: hearing God’s magnificent plan of salvation laid out in nine Scripture lessons from the creation to Jesus Christ’s wondrous incarnation at Christmas is both marvelous and comforting, and the music that goes along with the lessons is simply glorious.
Above: The Cherub and St. Nicholas Choirs rehearse on Sunday before the service.
The Wassail Bowl that follows Lessons and Carols is a labor of love for the Lesesne/Clark and Moore families, and as usual, they outdid themselves: nostalgic decorations and delicious treats (including Hamby’s tea sandwiches––is there anyone in Charleston who doesn’t love those?) and the warm fellowship that arises from a parish family that loves each other so well and happily welcomes newcomers into the fold.
Fun decorations at the Wassail Bowl!
This year was our first poinsettia project in many years without Monti Hanger and Callie McLaurin at the helm, and Jane Galis and Sherrie Wallinger, our new heads of the Compassion Committee, did a fabulous job organizing the card-writing troops and getting all the poinsettias arranged by ZIP code in the Parish House breezeway. And you, dear parish family, were so helpful in getting them all delivered to those who had lost loved ones this year or are otherwise in our hearts. Thank you!
Compassion Committee co-chairs Sherrie Wallinger and Jane Galis.
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