Today, I am a 57 year old man and a 35 year old father.

Leigh Erin had her first taste of oxygen on December 21, 1982 and she objected rather loudly and fiercely. But she pinked up in a hurry, a nurse swaddled her in a flannel blanket and we were formally introduced.

I observed that she looked like boiled baloney. (Well....she did!)
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Four days later, Erin, Annie and I spent our first family Christmas at St. Michael's Hospital. They wouldn't discharge anybody on Christmas Day(??)

This year, we will celebrate our First Christmas with Erin, Dan and Piper Jules in our family home.

We all celebrate a First Christmas - every Christmas. Of course, the hymns we'll sing and the services we'll attend this weekend will celebrate THE First Christmas.

​I wrote a song by that title in July 2005. It came to me a couple of weeks after brain cancer killed my friend Jules Tonus. (Piper is named after him, btw.) I sang it last year at our performance of The Promise. You can listen to it here if you like. https://soundcloud.com/dtrafford/first-christmas

I share it, not to bring you down, but to encourage you and yours to simply embrace this Christmas as a first.

Merry Christmas!

Obviously, to have their picture taken!
(Read on MacDuff!)

I had the distinct privilege of spending four days in the hallowed halls of Abbey Road Studios this past summer. I was there with friends to record some of our music.

At the risk of sounding inarticulate and stating the obvious, it was awesome, (as in awe inspiring, full of awe!)
Here's how it rolled out on Facebook over four days in London.