Celebration of the Holiday Season Begins

Our Holiday season began on Saturday with the annual Lessons and Carols service hosted by the San Francisco Theological Seminary.  Despite the name the Seminary is located here in San Anselmo!    The service has become one of our holiday tradition -- hearing the fabulous Seminary Singers, listening to the lessons, singing the traditional carols with full organ accompaniment and enjoying the home baked Christmas cookies at the reception.  The service starts at 7pm and we have finally figured out that one must arrive by 6:15 to be able to sit in the pews of the chapel and not in the back by the door!  It is a very popular community event.

This year Arlene, Les, Barb, and John joined us.  After we indulged at the cookie reception, everyone headed to our house for soup and salad dinner.  I made Cream of Barley Soup with whole barley, mushrooms, and leek.  This was a recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Soups.  Very easy and certainly hit the spot.  Arlene & Les brought a salad.

Part of the evening however was surprising Arlene and Les with an early combo birthday cake--actually a Yule Log (chocolate roll) that Barb made and masterfully decorated.   Here is the birthday couple -- I can't believe they just completed walking first 1/2 marathon in November!!  You GO!!

Here is a close up of the Yule Log -- love those pictures Barb found!

We all had a great evening and are making plans for 2011 already!