How shall I receive you?

Today’s the big finish, isn’t it? So even though we’ve already had one piece from Bach, I’m closing out my 2016 Advent with his Christmas Oratorio.

Well, Part 1, the “Early Morning” Nativity cantata, since it premiered on this day in 1734.

As I write this, I’m in my living room, the sun is out, and sparrows are ecstatic about the scone I put out there about 15 minutes ago. (Alas—a failed first try at a theme gift for a friend. I realized after I’d got them into the oven that I’d forgotten to add the salt, and these just didn’t rise, so I had to make another tray of them. The sparrows don’t seem to mind. There are 14 or 16 of them—they are hard to count, seeing as to how they all look alike and they hop about continuously.)

May your Christmas Day, your Hanukkah and/or your Sunday be all you could wish.