Have you had your Harvest Festival yet?
Today was the day that the Mummy’s had to bring in their offerings for our little ones to parade around the school hall at their Harvest Festival assembly this afternoon and I have to report that I experienced complete Harvest Festival shame, which is surely to be repeated later on today at said assembly.
This is the first year I have had to do a traditional Harvest Festival offering as last year we were instructed to take a shoe box and fill it with small toys and things that would be sent to children in Africa who would not receive Christmas gifts. This task was far easier than the one I was faced with this year. For a start, we were provided with the boxes therefore the space allowed for the gifts was predetermined. Plus, we had to return the box with the lid on and held in place with a large elastic band, therefore, no one could witness what had been placed within the boxes or know that I had in fact purchased most of the items from our local pound shop. I should mention at this point that I am all for charity and donating to those in need and whilst, I would not consider Louis and I to be on the bread line, money is not something that I tend to have a surplice of at any time, but in particular at this time of year with his birthday approaching and Christmas following quickly behind. Back to the point…
My first Harvest Festival proper; I hate to begin a sentence in this way as it reminds me of the fact that I am in fact a grown up, something I prefer not to be reminded of, but I remember as a child being supplied with a couple of tins of something from the back of my Mothers larder and placing them proudly at the front of the church. We had been asked by the school to bring in a box or small basket of goods which would later be donated to a local old people’s home. How hard could that be?
After a small melt down about the matter a couple of nights ago, I was comforted by one of my Mummy friends reply to my panic text;
Me: ‘What r u taking to schl for HF?’
Her: ‘Shoe box (childs) with some apples, oranges, baked beans and biscuits!’
Double checking the general thoughts about the subject on the bible, that is Mumsnet, for all these sorts of occasions, (I had a similar panic in the Summer about the sports day picnic!) I decided a shoe box was ample.
Last night I carefully wrapped one of Louis shoe boxes in pretty Harvest Festival type paper and filled lovingly with tissue paper, some tinned soup, pasta, pesto and a malt loaf and carefully wrapped the whole lot in cling film.
Alas, this morning my worst fear was realised as Louis and I entered his school, shoebox in one hand and book bag in the other, the fact that I could carry the box in one hand gives you an idea of the size, only to come face to face with a selection of baskets that would not have looked out of place in the John Lewis Christmas Hamper department. A vast array of beautifully decorated wicker baskets sat before us, one even having been carefully covered in a selection of autumnal leaves, all over flowing with combinations of everything from the Duchy Original range and home grown fresh produce.
Hiding our comparatively meagre parcel at the back and hoping that no one was watching, I dragged Louis along to his class room and disappeared as quickly as I could. Now just to sit through the embarrassment that will be the Harvest Festival procession… Do you think it is possible to pretend my child has picked up the wrong parcel?
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