Sun 24. [24 December 1899] Pouring. A good morning's Arabic. Found Nina and Ch. making their Xmas tree and helped them after lunch. Then home and read and wrote letters. Called on the Dicksons and came back for the Rosen's Xmas tree. The boys perfect darlings and most delighted with their toys. At 8.30 we started off driving to Bethlehem [(Beit Lahm)] and went to Pastor Bötcher's [see also Böttcher] where we arrived at 9.30. Schmidts there. Had tea, then wine, then beer (I didn't have this however) with biscuits, and sausages and at 11.30 set off in streaming rain and deep mud to the Franciscan church. Full of people, the men on one side, dark and ragged and unkempt, the exquisite Bethlehem women in their white veils on the other, dainty and fair some of them. Some of the married ones looked terribly young. We in the middle of them next to Oseppi, Kurdi and Blanchon. High Mass began at 12 and lasted till 2. An image of the Child unveiled over the altar. Singing awful but the organist was not bad. They came and swung their censers at {Oseppi} Auzepi and gave him holy objects to kiss. At 2 we all started off in procession to the Grotto of the Nativity carrying tapers. Round the long corridors lined with Arabs, across the Chapel of the Greeks between rows of Turkish soldiers and squadrons of dirty Arabs into the Grotto of the Nativity where we heard Luke 11 read and saw an effigy of the Child laid in the manger. Awfully hot, lighted by lots of silver lamps and all our torches. Back to the Church where we were blessed and dismissed to drink chocolate with Oseppi, Mme Scaniglia came too and some Italians, della Tore, on their honeymoon. So to bed past 3, all three of us in one room, but very comfy and slept soundly till 8.