I very much dislike winter without power, but it does happen. However, I will say, there was one year, on Christmas Eve, our power went out, back in Ohio. Winter snow/ice storm. We didn’t know how widespread it was.
We went to Christmas Eve Mass (not Midnight Mass, but 5 pm) with our kids (middle school to freshman age). As we entered, we were given held held candles. Being wintertime, it was already dark. The church had no power either. It was probably the MOST BEAUTIFUL Christmas Eve Mass I’ve ever been to in my life! All we had was handheld candles to provide light for us. Totally incredible! I can only imagine how dark it was that night for Mary and Joseph. What an incredibly humbling experience that was.
Thankfully, we had a working fireplace in that house. We gathered blankets and a couple of sleeping bags near the fireplace to keep warm. I don’t remember anything else about that Christmas except for the candlelight Mass and the warmth of the fireplace. Power was restored on the 26th, so just a day and a half without power. Not terrible. It was our first Christmas in that house.
Going back to the soup, I know the warmth of the soup will help you feel better, whether or not you can taste it. Feed a cold, starve a fever, right?
In this house, we have a WBFP, a gas stove, and a generator that can carry both freezers, our refrigerator, a microwave, and one double outlet to plug a light and a cell phone in to. It’s enough to keep us going through downtimes, which have never lasted even 24 hours here. Knock on wood.
I hope all is well and stays well for your family.
Sounds like a beautiful Mass!