fancy cakes and kitchen dancing

I think we ought to celebrate.

Now this comes from someone who sometimes wraps a gift in a grocery bag and thinks celebration can be as simple as as a pan of cinnamon buns.

Actually I am not that good at celebrating. I don't really throw parties or bake fancy cakes. I often choose a quiet dinner with my husband with a sentence to each other about the good thing that happened or was achieved. That is just how we are, we don't actually celebrate. And I am like that about holidays and birthdays. Our family celebrations are quiet and that's ok.

Oh... except our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We booked a hall, hired a band, and invited everyone we knew. That made up for all the quiet anniversaries. It was out of character for us, but we enjoyed it and had a great time. It was memorable. 

When we have celebrated things in the past at the studio it was memorable. Like the time we finished our little magazine and Angela popped the champagne and we all sat around in the afternoon with a glass. It was lovely. And it marked the accomplishment. And I remember it.

Or the time I finished the Very Mention of Home Collection and I had no place to show it so Georgina and I ordered trays of sandwiches, made tea and invited the community in for lunch. 

Creating a celebration with love, thought, and attention is a beautiful thing. I remember when Sheree Fitch opened her bookstore and she had a huge party in the yard. She was like a bookstore bride and it was beautiful! I can still see her now.

I think we ought to celebrate. And we can celebrate the ordinary if we want to. Last night I dropped in on my sister and she was in a long skirt with turquoise beads on for dinner. She looked lovely. It was an ordinary day but dinner is dinner at her house, and she dresses for it. 

It is up to ourselves to choose what to celebrate. A birthday can be a grand affair. Maybe I'll order myself a cake?

Or maybe it is finishing a rug? Do I turn on the music and have a sudden dance party at the studio?

Friday Night Dinner? Maybe I could open that tiny bottle of Prosecco that has been on the fridge door for months?

Paying off the mortgage? Well that is no ordinary accomplishment. That paper really could be burned in a celebratory fire.

There is the everyday celebrations and there are the big ones. Most of them I just let slide by with a quiet acknowledgement. I am that person and that's okay. Lately though, I have been thinking that the times that I have intentionally celebrated were good times. Those joy times have marked my life and made it more memorable. So I think I might start making a bit more effort. That's all.

I still won't throw a party for everything but I hope there may be more kitchen dancing, fancy cakes, and gatherings in my future. Ones that I will remember.