It was only because I put so much energy, effort, emotion and time into preparing for the Christmas Fete that I felt so disappointed. It was no one else’s fault but mine.
It didn’t help that some of my flowers wilted in the heat and my pedestal vase blew over and smashed and only 3 people bought my flowers.
And then, when I finally got home (after the Fete) and had unhitched Marigold and was unloading the car, well, what do you know, I slipped over while I was carrying my box of Christmas decorations (that took ages to make), balancing one of my vintage jars on top. I managed to hold onto the box but the vase and one of the ceramic decorations hit the footpath and smashed. That’s a new record. Two vases destroyed in a single day.
By this stage a disappointing day had become a shit day.
Let me fill you in. This post is a little bit late.
On the second Saturday in December last year, I took part in the annual Paekākāriki Christmas Fete. It’s a fundraising event for the local hall, run completely by volunteers. Stall holders come from all over the region to sell their stuff. It was a beautiful hot day. People wanted cold drinks and ice creams, not flowers. People wanted Christmas gifts if they were in the market for buying anything that wasn’t food. And lots of people were in the market for window shopping, enjoying the entertainment and having a day at the beach. And why not.
I guess I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my flowers and my creative endeavours.
My printed/painted Christmas cards had to be perfect. I spent weeks working on the design and the printing, getting it perfect. I wanted a cross hatch look in the back ground, peacock feather colours and gold. I re-glued all the sequins when I wasn’t happy with the gluing first time round. My Christmas decorations, well they had to be perfect too. I glued each button so it butted up against another button and the buttons themselves had to be carefully sorted.
I have high standards is what I’m trying to say. I want things to not just look right, but be well made too.
I’m equally fastidious with each flower arrangement. Each one is carefully thought out. I often make trips to the garden while arranging to get the right shaped or coloured flowers or foliage. Those little features are so important. They turn a nice flower arrangement into a beautiful one.
While I was preparing for the Christmas Fete I wasn’t doing a lot of jobs that needed doing. The zinnia and cosmos seedlings that needed planting out had to wait. All that watering and weeding in the front garden had to wait. All that summer seed sowing had to wait.
I guess there’s a lesson right there.
I might leave the 2026 Christmas Fete to the candy floss makers, the candle makers, the ladies who knit dolls, the guy who sells the flavoured salt and the cider makers.
People don’t buy flowers on a hot day unless they set out with the intention of buying flowers. People don’t buy flowers if they’re shopping for Christmas presents. People who go to a Christmas Fete don’t want to buy flowers.
Don’t wear sweaty plastic shoes on a hot day while carrying an unbalanced armload of precious things, especially when you’re tired and hungry and are clumsy by nature.
Lessons learnt.
