Preparing the Way for the Lord

Greetings from a very cold London. As you can see from the photo I've just taken from my study window, it's foggy (hence all the chaos at the airports) and London feels rather Dickensian at the moment (though thankfully it is fog rather than smog).

Any infrequency in blogging is caused by all the preparations for Christmas, which certainly succeed in building up the Advent sense of expectancy. This morning, for example, some chaps in the parish began the difficult task of erecting our giant crib (a la Piazza San Pietro), which stands on the busy roadside outside the church and acts as a local landmark over the coming weeks. It will hopefully be finished tomorrow:

Meanwhile, the church was filled with flowers and decorations - there's going to be a rather colourful feel to the Fourth Sunday of Advent, but this can't be helped this year with Christmas falling on a Monday:

Over the last week, two mosaics commissioned by the Parish Priest have been completed, which makes our 1960s church seem a bit more festive. These include a blue border around the statue of Our Lady (resembling a Rosary) and an image of the Flight into Egypt in the porch (this was deemed a fitting subject because of the many ethnic groups in our parish).

Good luck with all your preparations for the Holy Night!