I love this time of year and all its associated madness. I only wish it could be done without the gifts and their associated clutter.
If only we could all just share niceties instead of objects, make donations instead of shopping, and simply enjoy and be present during family get-togethers, instead of worrying about what could go wrong.
December has a ‘feel’ about it, that goes beyond that certain particular day that takes place on the 25th. In workplaces, it’s a time for office parties and asking colleagues about their families and their summer plans, and even for just saying thank you and acknowledging what you’ve actually achieved in the past 12 months.
People complain at this time and say they’re so ‘busy’ and it’s ‘just crazy’ and it’s ‘so hard’ trying to get to ‘so many events’ but deep-down you know they love it too. It’s easy to forget that being busy is in many cases a privilege, proving you have opportunities and invitations and people making demands on your time. Not everyone is so lucky.
Yesterday was the final day of Parliament for the year and I dare say there were a few warm and friendly moments in both the upper and lower houses. Opposition leader Bill Shorten told Parliament a big secret: that he and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull actually get a long quite well. He said they shared a few things in common, including both being married to “brilliant women” and both having battled former prime minister Tony Abbott. “In fact, I recall one meeting when the prime minister actually asked me if there was some way we could be nicer about each other in public,” Shorten said. “I said, ‘We could swap jobs’ … I thought I was pretty agile, really.”
(However, a few hours later Shorten told ABC’s Leigh Sales that Turnbull won’t be PM at the next election, and has been a “massive disappointment” in the top job. He suggested Tony Abbott is on a warpath, and that both Abbott and Julie Bishop could be in the running to be the next leader of the Liberal Party.)
Meanwhile in the Senate, Pauline Hanson extended an olive branch to Greens Senator Larissa Waters, wishing her family well with the upcoming arrival of their new baby. And Turnbull also found himself thanking the Greens “for their support” as well as the “continuing support” of the cross-benchers in passing the 15% Backpacker Tax. Even Barnaby Joyce was thanking the Greens, tweeting “Credit where credit is due. Thanks to the Greens for doing what Labor should have done.”
If politicians can put aside their differences in the most hostile of work environments, so too can we. At least until early January, when most of us are back at work for another year.
