I love the Christmas Eve services and the traditions that go along with them. In our church, it means lighting candles and passing them symbolically from one person to another. As I envisioned this tradition on canvas, I began to imagine that in an ideal world the Christmas Eve service would happen in a country chapel along a snowy wooded lane.

I envision this painting as the first in a series of three Christmas Chapels, each taking their inspiration from a classic Christmas carol. My prayer is that this series will give each of us a chance to rekindle the simple joys of the Christmas season.