Feeling Christmasy

'Every grown-up at the Herb of Grace and at Damerosehay was determined that this should be the children's Christmas--such a Christmas as they had not known before in their unsettled lives. They themselves looked forward to it with a certain amount of dread...The state of the world and their own fatigue combined to make them feel that a condition of mind humble and prayerful, meals requiring the minimum of preparation, and recreation consisting of nothing more strenuous than dozing in an arm-chair with a detective story, were their idea of a suitable Christmas in the circumstances...But that would not do for the children, and they girded themselves with heroism for the fray. And, as it turned out, not in vain, for when the time came it was for all of them---the grown-ups as well as the children--a day of sheer delight,one of those magical times that are not forgotten while life lasts, when it seems as though nothing can go wrong; as though human imperfection were aided and sustained by something outside itself, and just for once allowed to bring to perfection everything that it attempted.'~from Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge