Mother Christmas and her elf were just two of the four volunteers who joined us at 12-30pm on Christmas Day for the Christmas Day Lunch at Blandford Methodist Church. There were 19 guests on the day; sadly, three who had booked for the meal and paid for it didn’t turn up.
A three-course meal of devilled eggs on a bed of lettuce, turkey with all the trimmings, homemade trifle or Christmas pudding and custard was prepared, cooked and served by Mark Lilley, with the help of Tessa a family friend.
To accommodate the numbers gathered and make the hall look more welcoming we had one six table down the middle with five smaller tables around the edge. These were festively decorated and a bottle of shloer added to each table. To complete the meal, there was tea, coffee and mints. To create an ambiance, festive music was playing quietly in the background.
Strategically placed at a table were Nic, Catherine, Louise, David and Joyce, who guided conversation amongst people who didn’t really know each other. We also encouraged folk to participate in the Christmas Quiz with the winning table each receiving a tin of shortbread biscuits.
During the meal we thanked Mark & Tessa for their hard work and yummy food with a long round of applause and by presenting them with a small token of our appreciation for all their hard work. For each guest to take home, Blandford Rotary Club had donated a seasonal bag of goodies which was very well received.
All the leftover food was boxed up and taken home so there was very little waste. Those who came seemed to have an enjoyable time with folk beginning to leave around 2pm. Lifts were offered to those who needed one, whilst in the hall, the tidying up began. The old saying many hands make light work was very true and, as a team, we worked speedily and efficiently so that we could each go our respective ways to enjoy what was left of Christmas Day.
