It was a special evening candlelight service celebrating the birth of our Savior.

This year we held our Christmas dinner for the whole church (and visitors) in the afternoon right after the morning service. It was a low-key celebration with friends, food, and fellowship.

Bob and Sharyn Halpin opened their home tonight for this festive staple celebration. This is an adult-only event because we don’t want our kids to see us having so much fun and spoil our image.

The fare for the evening was appetizers and finger foods because we’ve learned (the hard way) that too much laughter on a full stomach can be painful. As we exchanged gifts ranging from silly to absurd, we reminisced about previous white elephants and the joy that last year’s presents brought into our homes.

Hanover adults (young through senior) donned our best duds and downed heavy hors d’oeuvres while Spotswood Baptist’s 12-member ensemble “Believe in Miracles” performed a program of contemporary Christmas music tonight. Even though this was a relatively low-key event, Cheryl and her minions decorated the fellowship in her beautiful and festive way.

This evening we watched the movie "Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure" during our Evening Bible Study time. It was a great way to remember the significance of Thanksgiving.