Idle Thoughts Of A Quanglican Fellow

 I'm eating pretzels. 

And have been eating stollen and roasted cashews- and drinking Kentucky fried bourbon.

Cancel the "fried".

And Christmas dinner hasn't even happened yet.

We were at the Meeting House earlier. Quakers aren't supposed to celebrate Christmas- but some of us do. There were four of us. Paul had been at the Midnight Mass at St Saviours (because his partner sings in the choir) and was still fuming about the whole carry-on-  the chasubles, the slinging about of holy water, the berettas, the celebrant waltzing around with the Dolly that was standing in for baby Jesus, the excess of incense that had the congregation coughing. In his redaction it was greatly entertaining, but perhaps not so entertaining to sit through. He couldn't remember the word "manger" and had to stop himself saying "barbecue" instead.....

Our worship (I don't like that word but I can't think of a better) was silent. I had left the Bible open on the altar central table at Luke 2 and thought Alan might have read from it but he didn't.. Never mind, the silence was charged with Christmas spirit-.... 

Few of us Quakers grew up in the Society. In our community of 20-30 I am aware of only two. The rest of us have been Anglicans, Catholics, Witches, Jehovah's Witnesses, Plymouth Bretheren. We come into the Society trailing clouds of glory about which we may or may not feel nostalgic. Some have a hankering after evangelical hymns; myself, I crave candles....

Candles and carols.....

Quakers who started out in the Church of England are known as Quanglicans.