11/12/2016 Songs of Praise


11/12/2016

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I'm in Lapland with some very special families for the trip

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of a lifetime.

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And, of course, this is the only way to travel.

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'These children have been seriously ill,

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'and today they're getting a real treat.'

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Reindeers are really fun, and I liked having a ride on the sled.

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'I'll be meeting a little girl who has leukaemia and hearing how

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'her mum has trusted in God.'

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He's like a confidant that I can...

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pour my heart out to.

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'Also this week, we find out why the maitre d'

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'of a top London restaurant decided to give up the high life.'

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I turned to the chauffeur and said,

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"What am I doing serving people whose restaurant bill is £3,000?"

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'And I'll be discovering the origins of the Christmas tree...

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'in Devon!'

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I'm not a huge tinsel fan, but that is amazing.

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It's like the Las Vegas of Christmas trees. It's brilliant.

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'To accompany our Christmas trip to Lapland,

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'we have some great carols, a new song from Matt Redman and

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'a poignant performance from the Military Wives Choir.'

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But our main focus today is definitely these wonderful

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families, who, believe me, deserve some pampering.

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'Very soon, we'll be on the lookout for you-know-who.

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'But let's begin with an uplifting gospel song with an Advent theme.'

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# Hallelujah

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# Ooh-ooh-ooh-lujah

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# Hallelujah

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# Ooh-ooh-ooh-lujah

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# Hallelujah

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# Ooh-ooh-ooh-lujah. #

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'Our Lapland trip started VERY early in the morning at

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'East Midlands Airport,

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'the perfect time for a singsong!'

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# Away in a manger

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# No crib for a bed... #

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'Within four hours, we'd flown 2,000 miles north.'

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-CAPTAIN:

-'We should be crossing the Arctic Circle in exactly

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'19 minutes from now.'

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'And this is Lapland, temperature minus 20 degrees,

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'and the official home of Santa in the city of Rovaniemi.

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'We're so far north, the sun's only up for a few short hours.

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'The charity When You Wish Upon A Star aims to give an

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'unforgettable experience to children who suffer from

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'life-threatening conditions

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'like heart failure, paralysis and cancer.'

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There's reindeer!

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'One of those children is eight-year-old Molly,

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'a very brave little girl.

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'Diagnosed last year with leukaemia,

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'Molly's still having regular courses of treatment.'

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The first thing you think when you hear "leukaemia" is...

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"Not a good thing," because... you're ignorant about

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what it's all about, and straight away you think, "Not good."

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But after you get over the shock, then you just jump straight

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into action to, like, do whatever you've got to do.

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'Fiona could only watch while Molly went through round after round

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'of painful chemotherapy.

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'But the family are now hopeful that she's over the worst.'

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She seems to be responding really well to all her treatment.

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I like that saying, "Stress makes you think that everything

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"has to be done straight away," and faith gives you the...

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reassurance that it's going to happen in God's time and just

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to be patient and... just... That's all you can do.

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So, in all that's happened to you, what keeps you going?

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I just...

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pour my heart out to God and Jesus and tell them my problems

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instead of weighing other people down.

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Yeah, he's like a confidant that I can pour my heart out to...

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and not feel guilty about anything.

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-And you must be so thankful to be here.

-Yeah!

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Well, with God's grace it's been put together and everyone's having

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a fantastic time, and...

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It's a very special thing, especially for the children

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that are really, really poorly and being pushed around, you know?

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This is something they never get to

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do in their normal daily life, do they?

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-It's a huge blessing, isn't it, to be here?

-It is a blessing. Yeah.

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'Here on our Lapland trip,

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'it's the moment the children have all been waiting for.

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'They get to meet Santa!'

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There he is!

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CHILDREN CHEER

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'But Christmas isn't just about giving and receiving presents,

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'it's also a time of year when we think about those less

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'fortunate than ourselves.'

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In our next story, we meet a man who gave up

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a glamorous career amongst London's glitterati

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to devote his life to helping others.

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For most of us, Christmas means eating - lots of it, whether

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it's at home with the family or perhaps out and about with friends.

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But for some people, it's a time when they can't afford to eat

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at all, let alone at a top restaurant like this one.

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'Stephen Chamberlain used to run this fine-dining restaurant

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'in London in the 1980s.'

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When L'Escargot opened in 1981, it was really the only place in

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Soho to be seen, and it was so exciting to be there.

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You could eat the atmosphere! It was full of creativity.

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Princess Diana was there, Cliff Richard was there,

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Madonna came, Prince Andrew.

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Or you may not recognise them. I didn't recognise Tom Cruise.

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I was the maitre d', greeter and seater. It's a very exciting job.

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L'Escargot. Lovely.

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'Then, amongst all this glamour,

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'Stephen had a life-changing experience.'

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Well, I was invited to the opening of a hospice,

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and I was absolutely bowled over by the care and love that was

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being offered to people who were basically terminally ill,

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and I stayed for about three hours.

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I'd actually gone with a chauffeur-driven car,

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and the chauffeur was waiting for me.

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And as I came out, I turned to the chauffeur and said,

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"What am I doing?!

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"What am I doing serving people whose restaurant bill is £3,000...

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"when I could be working here?"

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'I handed in my notice at L'Escargot, became a volunteer.'

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Was that a Christian conscience that prompted those things?

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Definitely.

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I had an epiphany moment. I suddenly realised where my Christian

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values were taking me and were going to lead me.

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'The care that you give to customers at L'Escargot you can give to

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'people who really need care.

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'After working as a volunteer at many Christian charities,

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'Stephen is now back in the restaurant business,

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'except this time it's free, for people in need.'

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-Are they nice?

-Yes, they're very nice.

-Oh, good! Well done,

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because you made them.

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'Four years ago, he set up St Laurence's Larder at his church.

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'The standards are still high, and he gives his guests

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'a three-course meal and a taste of the fine-dining experience.'

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-John, would you like to meet Pam?

-Hello, John!

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-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. The soup looks good.

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-It's beautiful. Yeah, really nice.

-Yeah!

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It's absolutely brilliant,

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and the service they give is brilliant, really.

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This is a lifeline for me, really, so it is.

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They give you food to take away.

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It's better than a five-star hotel,

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-really, so it is, really and truly.

-Mm.

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-Can I tempt you to a sandwich?

-Thank you.

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You know, Stephen, he's a unique sort of a man, you know?

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He is a very special man, yes.

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The most important thing is greeting people and seating them and

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making sure they have a really fabulous time.

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It may only be for four hours,

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but they're treated like royalty and they eat like royalty.

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-All right, Chris?

-I'm all right, thank you.

-Have a good weekend.

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-I shall.

-Are you going to take some food with you?

-I will.

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It makes me feel like a normal human being, you know?

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Like I'm part of the community.

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Andy, are you OK? Yes? Yeah? You OK, Chris? Good, good, good.

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'Christians are asked to serve.'

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And we here at St Laurence's Larder

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are serving people, as Christ asked us to do.

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# Love came down at Christmas

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# Love all lovely, love divine

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# Love was born at Christmas

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# Star and angels gave the sign

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# Love came down, love came down

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# Love came down at Christmas

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# Worship we the godhead

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# Love incarnate, love divine

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# Worship we our Jesus

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# But wherewith for sacred sign?

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# Love came down, love came down

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# Love came down at Christmas

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# Love shall be our token

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# Love be yours and love be mine

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# Love to God and all men

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# Love for plea and gift and sign

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# Love came down, love came down

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# Love came down at Christmas

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# Love came down, love came down

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# Love came down...

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# At Christmas. #

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'Here in the Lapland forest is Santa's very own village post

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'office, where letters can be left for the man himself.'

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It's only a fortnight to Christmas,

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and if you're anything like me, you'll still need some more cards.

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So why not buy some of our Songs Of Praise Christmas cards?

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All the details are on our website...

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..and proceeds go to BBC Children In Need.

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'On our trip, many of the children need constant medical attention,

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'and Michael is one of three paramedics who've taken time

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'off work to help out.'

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I do feel, as an operational paramedic,

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that I am serving God, Queen and country, and I do feel that,

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actually, it is making a difference.

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'Giving up time for a day like this is so special for many reasons.

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'It makes the day for the children.

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'It's an honour and a privilege, really, to share same of the

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'fantastic memories that they will be able to share as a family.'

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Well done!

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Our next carol is brand-new from the worship leader Matt Redman.

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It's a fresh interpretation on the carol

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O Little Town Of Bethlehem, and it's performed from the crypt

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at Lambeth Palace, the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

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# O little town of Bethlehem

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# How still we see thee lie

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# Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

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# The silent stars go by

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# Yet in thy dark streets shineth

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# The everlasting light

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# The hopes and fears of all the years

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# Are met in thee tonight

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the glory of Christ

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the story of his love

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# O holy child of Bethlehem

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# Descend to us, we pray

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# Cast out our sin and enter in

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# Be born in us today

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# We hear the Christmas angels

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# The great glad tidings tell

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# Oh, come to us, abide with us

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# Our Lord Emmanuel

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the glory of Christ

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the story of his love

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# Oh, the story of his love

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# His love, his love for us

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# Oh, the story of his love

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# How silently, how silently

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# The wondrous gift is given

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# So God imparts to human hearts

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# The blessings of his heaven

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# No ear may hear his coming

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# But in this world of sin

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# Where meek souls will receive him still

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# The dear Christ enters in

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# Oh, Christ be welcomed in

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the glory of Christ

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# And the glory of Christmas

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# Is the story of his love

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# Oh, the glory of Christmas is...

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# The story of...

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# His love

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# The story of his love. #

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Now, what does a seventh-century saint from Devon have to do

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with one of these?

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Well, before I headed north to Lapland, I went to Crediton

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in Devon to find out.

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'The Christmas Tree Festival in Crediton Parish Church

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'has grown in popularity through the years,

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'with 74 on display this year, each with its own unique theme.'

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My favourite trees here at the festival are the ones that

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the children have made, and I especially like this one,

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which is based on my favourite kids' book, The Hungry Caterpillar.

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I love it. It's absolutely gorgeous.

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Look at the yoghurt-pot cupcakes, and, instead of tinsel, you've

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got a string of sausages made out of the inside of toilet-roll tubes.

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And a beautiful butterfly right at the top. It's gorgeous.

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Stella, how many years has the festival been going?

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It's been going about 11 years now.

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It's absolutely amazing, and it's just grown every year.

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But we can't really get any more trees in now!

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THEY LAUGH I love that!

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You've had to limit the number of trees that you're allowed in church!

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That's fantastic!

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And what happens to the trees once the festival's all over?

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The trees are actually sold so that

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people can take them home for Christmas.

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'What's amazing is that the origins of this most Christmassy of

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'traditions began with a saint from right here in Devon.'

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St Boniface was born here in Crediton,

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but he didn't stay here for very long.

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He went to school in the monastery in Exeter,

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and then he became a monk himself.

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He had a real passion to go over

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to what we now call Germany and Holland

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and to share the Christian gospel

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and also to help re-establish the church there.

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So what's Boniface got to do with Christmas trees, then?

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Well, one of the best known incidents in St Boniface's life

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was where he cut down a sacred oak tree

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which would've been a place of worship for the pagan tribes

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but he wanted to try and establish the Christian faith there

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and the people thought that if he cut down the tree,

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he would be struck down by the spirits.

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But he wasn't and a number of people were converted to Christianity.

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But out of the roots of that old tree, a small fir tree grew up,

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and that was said to be the first Christmas tree.

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I'm not a huge tinsel fan but that is amazing.

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It's so blingy and sparkly,

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it's like the Las Vegas of Christmas trees.

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It's brilliant.

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Have you got your eye on one?

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Ooh, I'd quite like the big one up on the altar but...

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Have you got a house big enough for that tree?!

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-No, I'm in a bungalow.

-THEY LAUGH

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You better take that little one there then.

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Yeah, that's about my size.

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I mean, it really brings the community together.

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Oh, it totally does.

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There's just nothing better than a Christmas tree festival

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but what a place to have it, in St Boniface's birthplace.

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These beautiful trees have inspired me to get on

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and decorate my own tree at home.

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Before I go, I'm going to make my own contribution

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to the decorations here.

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The children on this special trip have all faced serious illness,

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meaning life has been far from normal.

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Amelia has cancer and she and her dad are enjoying time away

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from the stresses at home.

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It's really good.

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The reindeers were really fun

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and I liked having a ride on the sled as well.

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Oh, he likes you.

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'To be honest, it hasn't been great,

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'the year and a half or so that's gone,

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'a lot of days in hospital,'

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but to come here and have a fantastic time like this,

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it is so uplifting

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and just gives us something to look forward to recently.

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I'm so thankful to the charity for putting it on.

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I mean, as Christians,

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we're so aware of people being praying for us,

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supporting us at church, at work, and, you know,

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life is full of uncertainty, you can't avoid that,

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but at least with prayer and support,

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we've been able to get through this difficult time.

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And days like this just make it incredible, don't they? Wonderful.

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And an early sunset means the chance to enjoy some amazing fireworks.

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And I'm catching up with Molly and her mum Fiona.

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It's been amazing.

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I didn't expect it to be this magical and so big

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and Molly certainly didn't expect it to be like this.

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I know, when I spoke to her before we came,

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I don't think she had any idea how it was going to be.

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And how different will this Christmas be

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from previous Christmases?

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It will be much more relaxing this year because she's well

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and, yeah, we'll just all be together,

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we've got lots of presents, it's more organised.

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Last year, we just bought anything and put it under the tree,

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just to do what you're supposed to do

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and didn't put a lot of thought into it like we have this year.

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And, yeah, all be together, just like the true spirit of Christmas.

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Being together with our families is incredibly special

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at this time of year.

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In fact, it's one of the joys of Christmas,

0:27:350:27:37

but our next song is dedicated

0:27:370:27:39

to those who won't be home for Christmas,

0:27:390:27:41

including those in the armed services.

0:27:410:27:44

Here, with an adaptation of a well-known tune

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and some specially written words, are the Military Wives Choir.

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# Home for Christmas

0:27:560:27:59

# We should be

0:27:590:28:02

# Home with friends and family

0:28:020:28:08

# Pray for those both near and far

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# Pray for them where'er they are

0:28:160:28:24

# Let their courage shine on through

0:28:240:28:30

# Show their pride for all they do

0:28:300:28:36

# Home for Christmas, you should be

0:28:360:28:42

# Home for Christmas here with me

0:28:420:28:50

# Bring us peace and bring us love

0:28:500:28:56

# Bring us hope from heaven above

0:28:560:29:02

# The only present that I need

0:29:020:29:09

# Is your presence here with me

0:29:090:29:15

# So come on home, we need you near

0:29:150:29:21

# Come on home, we want you here

0:29:210:29:28

# Home for Christmas, you should be

0:29:280:29:34

# Home for Christmas here with me

0:29:340:29:42

# Hear the bells are ringing

0:29:430:29:49

# You're in our prayers and in our hearts

0:29:490:29:55

# So raise a glass and raise a cheer

0:29:550:30:02

# For our loved ones we hold dear

0:30:020:30:08

# Hark the herald angels sing

0:30:080:30:14

# Glory to the newborn king

0:30:140:30:22

# Home for Christmas, you should be

0:30:240:30:30

# Home for Christmas here with me. #

0:30:300:30:38

It's been an incredibly special day for us all here in Lapland,

0:30:420:30:46

with many memories to treasure.

0:30:460:30:48

Next week, we've Somerset carols by candlelight,

0:30:480:30:52

as David Grant visits the medieval town of Dunster.

0:30:520:30:56

And we end today with our final Christmas carol

0:30:560:30:59

to cheer us on our way so from beautiful Lapland, farewell.

0:30:590:31:04

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