It's time to find out just how the Indians celebrate Christmas. They've all treated it just like any other day so far. Even the Christian shopkeepers were running on normal hours. Yesunesun's got a cricket match in the afternoon and no-ones getting drunk. How can you celebrate anything without a drink? How can you play cricket on Christmas day? How can you work on Christmas Eve? I suppose poverty is the answer to this last, but the others? They don't have a midnight service, because so many people have to cook early in the morning so they've done the sensible thing and moved the service to four o'clock. In the morning.

This enables everyone to celebrate the great day and still have time and energy to cook iddly'sand dosai afterwards. These Indians are crazy! It's the only service they have, so we've got to go to be part of an Indian Christmas. We're going to Esther and David's for Biryani – our favourite! C.'s got some crackers which we'll take as we couldn't find any wine anywhere. They probably don't drink anyway. The Rev's going to his village tomorrow, so dinner with him is off. So is going to his village on Boxing Day. It'll have to be Saturday instead.

Today was mainly uneventful, except for the tons of post we got this afternoon. C.'s a bit cross because his best friend wrote to me and I didn't tell him. Do I have to tell you everything? He found out when he was sticking the letter back together after Yesu had cut it up while getting the stamp off the envelope.

Indians have no taste, it's official. The card man shows you the worst cards. The tailors, the worst shirts. The shopkeepers, the most tacky plastic rubbish they have. The Indian buyers aren't much better with plastic everything in their homes. 'Good Taste' things are available at the same price, but you have to really search for them!

Tomorrow we're going to wear our new dhoti's.