Three Vicars Talking: The Book of the Brilliant BBC Radio 4 Series by Kate Bottley & Richard Coles & Giles Fraser

Author:Kate Bottley & Richard Coles & Giles Fraser [Bottley, Kate & Coles, Richard & Fraser, Giles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Spirituality
ISBN: 9780281084685
Google: vQuXzgEACAAJ
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2020-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

Broadcast on Christmas Day 2019, at 1.15 p.m.

Presenters: RICHARD COLES

KATE BOTTLEY

GILES FRASER

Producer: NEIL MORROW

Series editor: CHRISTINE MORGAN

Music: ‘I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day’ by Slade

COLES I wish it could be Christmas every day. Now that’s not a phrase that drops very commonly from the lips of clergy towards the end of the year. I’m joined by two colleagues: by the Reverend Kate Bottley and the Reverend Canon Giles Fraser. All of us have form when it comes to Christmas but I’m wondering, Kate, there’s something about you that suggests to me that a pair of novelty antlers would work for you. Do you love Christmas?

BOTTLEY Umm . . . Oh, there was too much of a pause there really, wasn’t there? To not tell the truth – no.

FRASER [sharp intake of breath]

COLES [sharp intake of breath]

BOTTLEY I know. Okay. Let me explain. I love ­Christmas; I love the actual day itself because, I don’t know about you two, but actually by Christmas it’s all done. ­Christmas Day, after about 11 o’clock or so, you’ve got nothing else, unless you’ve got a church that is dedicated to St Stephen. So, you can pretty much kick back and relax – or that Christmas Day is on a Saturday . . .

COLES Which does happen.

BOTTLEY . . . which is the worst thing in the world for a clergyperson. I love Christmas. What I find really tricky is that we peak too soon, as far as I’m concerned. So, as clergy . . .

FRASER When you say ‘we’, do you mean church?

BOTTLEY No, I don’t. I mean those people that we’re here to serve. So, for me [laughing], the thing that really gets me, okay – I’m going to really nail this down – I don’t like people who take their Christmas trees down on Boxing Day. That’s what upsets me.

COLES Would you last till Candlemas?

BOTTLEY Yeah, absolutely; till February, definitely.

COLES How about you? When does the greenery – you don’t put greenery up, do you, Giles?

FRASER No, no, no, I like – I love the Christmas tree. So, about three years ago I asked my daughter and kids if they would decorate the Christmas tree, and that was a big mistake because my daughter was at Goldsmiths, the fine art college, and so she decided – and I let them do it in the day – and when I came back, my ­daughter had spray painted tampons and had used those as ­Christmas decorations. And when the ladies of the parish came in to look at the vicar’s Christmas tree it took some explanation.

COLES Well, it invites a very interesting parish discussion on the virgin birth perhaps, doesn’t it? [laughter]

FRASER I love Christmas. I sort of even love secular ­Christmas, I have to say. I sort of pooh-pooh it a bit. I love the whole mood and the sort of drawing in, wintery type of thing, and the way that’s sort of taken up by . . .

COLES Do you have a bit of hygge in Newington Butts?

FRASER That sort of thing, yeah, we light a fire.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.