Christmas in Cambridge

This is probably my last Christmas in Cambridge, and of course I filled it with friends and family.

I took Christmas Day off work, though I did submit an application for a postdoctoral position in Paris. It wasn't one I was looking for, just an advertisement that came up, so I decided I might as well apply. My success rate so far isn't that high (two rejections, a few no news, and no acceptances, interviews, etc.), so I think it's a good idea to submit applications where I see the opportunity.

On Christmas Eve I joined Godine, Camille and Camille's mother Anne for the Vigil Mass at St John's. The gospel was accompanied by children acting out the story (it was something of a composite of Luke and Matthew). It was nice to be in a big parish: Sacred Heart, where I usually attend Mass when the MIT chapel is closed, has a big church but a small congregation.

When I went home, I had a long Christmas conversation with Jacqui and Vik on Skype. They were looking well and happy: Vik was preparing for the approaching influx of in-laws.

On Christmas morning, I prepared some salads, and emailed friends far and wide with Christmas greetings. I then headed to Chris' place for Christmas lunch with him and Anna. We had chicken soup and vegie burgers, the chicken soup in particular was appreciated in the cold weather (though it wasn't cold inside). I showed them this funny song, and Youtube decided we wanted to watch an Austrian staged version of Messiah. The singing was good, but the concept was laughably misguided: Messiah shouldn't be staged at all, let alone staged very badly. I looked online for reviews (the director was Claus Guth), and they are all basically positive!

I continued to Camille's place for dinner with her and Anne. We had roast lamb and various accompanying dishes. When one of them mentioned that she liked sweet potatoes better without marshmallows, they couldn't understand why I laughed so hard! We then played several games: Pandemic (which we won - it's a cooperative game), Clue, Bananagrams and Spot-It.

In the evening, I talked with Mum, Dad, Tom, Nornie and Granddad, and wished them a merry Christmas and happy new year. They could tell I was having a good Christmas: even looking at the picture of myself on Skype, I could see how happy I was!

Yesterday I talked to many family members, gathered at Jacqui and Vik's place. It was late in the evening for me, but I liked listening to the happy banter at the table, as well as a few bad bon-bon jokes. I do miss being home for Christmas, but the feeling of joy is so strong it carries easily over Skype.