For many,the service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College,Cambridge, is when Christmas begins.
Listened to by millions of people around the world, it starts with a chorister singing the first verse of Once in Royal David's City.
The priest who introduced this service to King's College chapel,exactly one hundred years ago, was Eric Milner-White.
He had served as a military chaplain in the First World War.
Just six weeks after the Armistice,he wanted a new kind of service which, with its message of peace and goodwill,spoke to the needs of the times.
Twenty eighteen has been a year of centenaries.
The Royal Air Force celebrated its 100th anniversary with a memorable fly-past demonstrating a thrilling unity of purpose and execution.
We owe them and all our Armed Services our deepest gratitude.
My father served in the Royal Navy during the First World War.
He was a midshipman in HMS Collingwood at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.
