Last week was Hannah's first dip into the waters of that fine seasonal tradition, the Christmas program (or concert, as they are called at her school). The week began with her role as Angel No. 1 in the Pantygwydr Baptist Church Sunday school classes' program, where she and the other angels happen upon the Bethelehem Tourist Information Centre in their search for a rehearsal space. Hannah's lines: "We have to find somewhere" and "Aaaaaghhh! ... um, I mean, fear not!"

The Brynmill Primary School Christmas concert followed on Wednesday, where Hannah was one of the narrators in the story of Humph the Camel's Christmas. Narrators were allowed to choose their own costume and, hey, we picked Angel again. This time her lines were: "Shepherds were looking after their sheep on the hillside" and "They [the camels] ate and ate and ate and drank and drank and drank until their humps were nice and big." Photos are in the gallery, check it out. Now with video footage--it's a QuickTime movie. Just a few seconds "backstage" and Hannah's lines.

Many thanks to Jo Long for lending me a sewing machine and a length of curtain to make the angel costume. I'm quite proud of it.

We're staying close to home over the holidays, mostly due to an amazing amount of illness in the family. I've had a cold (well, probably a series of colds) since the end of November, Cliff's caught a mild cold, and Hannah has had a couple severe colds which have kicked her asthma into high gear. Just this week she fell victim to a stomach bug, and is just now recovering from that.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, y'all!