Overhead, the sky carries the weight of winter. In our neck of the woods, the cold has come fast and hard, digging its frosty fingers under our coats and hats. I tighten my scarf around my neck, try to relax my shoulders from its icy grip. I breathe in the dry, fresh air filled with the piney, earthy scent of evergreens. Soon, I will be back home where the wood stove gives out its heat and warms my still-tingling hands.
As the quiet takes over the outdoor world and the light snow flurries float to the ground, I find myself slowing down, waiting. The word that comes to me is ‘Appreciation.’
Welcome to December, a month that holds so much promise. As I set out the advent candles and gather the outdoor lights, I’m already planning out the weeks ahead. Yes, there is work, but I’m thinking about the small gestures I can do to bring light and warmth to the world. Gathering friends, sending out homemade cards, sharing good food, speaking kind words, shopping locally to support artists and shops, leaving generous tips. These are ways I can help create a holiday to remember and show my appreciation for the world around me.
For many years, when I had my bakery, this first week of December heralded the coming of the feast. My staff and I worked for several weeks to create food for a free appreciation gathering for our customers. When the day arrived, customers volunteered to help us set up tables and lights, chop fruit and vegetables and make coffee. Food and drink filled the bakery space and overflowed into the farmers’ market next door: one table full of just cheeses and breads, another with Yuletide logs, cookies and pastries. In the kitchen, salads and pizzas and main dishes and soups filled the countertops and stovetop. By the woodfired oven, pans of roasted vegetables, bacon-wrapped dates and other tidbits spread on the marble table. As dusk fell, a line formed outside our door and down the street as, inside, we lit candles and put on the finishing touches.
Then, with a quiet gratitude, we opened the doors to our customers and their families and friends. And, with quiet gratitude, they accepted our gift. It was always the most amazing experience. As they filed around the tables and countertops laden with food, filling their plates and cups with goodies, this was a world of peace and love and community.
For those few short hours on a December Sunday night, we shared the goodness of life, freely and appreciatively until it was over. After all of these years, it still brings tears to my eyes, remembering the gathering of people in appreciation.
This year, I have a list in my head of how I will go about showing appreciation with the resources I have. It doesn’t take much but it can mean the world. And December is the perfect month to do it.
And thanks to you, my readers and followers. Your comments and suggestions over the years continue to carry me as I write. May you pass the appreciation on!
Such a wonderful idea, and a reminder of how something seemingly as simple can bring a community together in common appreciation of each other’s gifts and talents ✨
That gathering which we called Babette's feast (also one of my favorite movies) is such a warm happy memory. Your generosity and hard work to show appreciation to your customers was incredible. Thank you. I'll never forget the big wheels of cheese and the yule log which covered several tables. It was a feast for the eyes and for the soul.