Today at GPCC we will be celebrating: it’s our final Parent & Toddler party this morning and then we’re having a Christmas afternoon tea in the afternoon. As with all celebrations, work and joy go hand in hand. We will be making sandwiches, preparing food, setting up, tidying away, washing up and setting up again, all in the space of a few hours. I expect by the end of the day we’ll feel exhausted!
Similar things happen in every household over the Christmas period: people buying food and drink, preparing lavish meals, cooking for extended family, and having to tidy it all up afterwards. Celebrations can be hard work! As my mother used to say as she baked for Christmas, ‘there aren’t any fairies in this house.’
But the work is part of the joy. The work reminds us that we are helping others, that seeing the smiles on people’s faces, the gasps as they look at our culinary works of art, is reward. Teamwork can be one of the great blessings of this time of year, as we work together to celebrate. Solo celebrations are nowhere near as much fun.
Don’t stress about celebrating this year. If our meals are not as fancy as we would like, that’s not the end of the world. What really matters is the joy of sharing and the pleasure of helping.
