The St. Francis Monastery is a very important place in Bridbury at Christmas. Abbot Donny Caterham and his seven Franciscan brothers decorate the pompous building beautifully. The winter sun shines in through the chapel’s stained-glass windows onto a modest crib, made by the father of Nick Malley from "Old Malley's" furniture-making shop. The midnight mass is of course celebrated in Father Jesse Anthony Green’s church, but Miss Lewisham’s children’s choir practices in the monastery’s chapel, because of the wonderful acoustics there. On Boxing Day Jesse always celebrates Christmas with Donny.

The two clergymen enjoy a modest but very sufficient Christmas dinner, smoke fat cigars and drink Scotch whisky late into the night. For both, this is the highlight of the year. After dinner they wander, chatting about past and future, through the monastery’s herbarium where Donny and his brothers cultivate the most unique herbs, which they then sell fresh or dried throughout the county. The chefs from the town’s two restaurants, Mary Sutton from "Eating Time" and Don Gastonhill from "The Swan" are major customers, using the monastery’s herbs to add extra flavour to their dishes.