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Last week, I reviewed the new Netflix animated family film, That Christmas. Tina read the classic, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Our family holiday gathering is tomorrow, so I got to spend Christmas Day with YouTube and streaming services, pretending that I spent the day in some cozy cottage in the Cotswolds with some mince pies and spiced hot cider.

My day began with watching the royal family leave the church service at Sandringham.

The King’s Christmas Message is broadcast at 3pm in the UK, which is 9am my time. It was previously recorded in a former hospital chapel, an appropriate location for gratitude to healthcare workers some of whom attended to the King and other members of the royal family in 2024.

I wrapped my last Christmas gift and wrote a Christmas card while watching the Christmas Day Eucharist service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the church across from Trafalgar Square in London. I got what I hoped for — an invocation of memories from a childhood of services in a small-town church, plus a modern message about solidarity that speaks to the world in loving ways regardless of faith or culture.

This year’s Doctor Who Christmas special was available by afternoon on Disney’s streaming service. I knew I was going to like it from the opening shot and the words “The Queens Hotel, Manchester 1940.” Nothing like World War II bombing to set the stage for a heartwarming Christmas story. Well, it works for me, anyway. Except, that turned out to be a false start. I was still happy with a character named ‘Joy’ played by Nicola Coughlan (Penelope from Bridgerton) and a lot of time traveling.

We ended the day with The Muppet Christmas Carol. The Muppets are American, of course (Sam Eagle makes a joke about it). But the story is English, and so is Michael Caine who plays Scrooge.

How was your Christmas?