The Christmas Table 

As we rapidly approach this Christmas, many people are arriving at this season carrying a wide range of emotions. For some, joy, connection, and a sense of celebration. For others, there may be grief, loneliness, fatigue, or a heaviness that is hard to name. For many, it is a mixture of all of these experiences. 

As we reflect on the year and acknowledge the recent events in Bondi, we hold in our thoughts and hearts, everyone who has been impacted. Events like these can unsettle us deeply, disrupt our sense of safety, and leave us feeling shaken or unsure about the world around us. They also remind us how closely our sense of wellbeing is shared.

When things feel troubling and uncertain, it is very common to want to protect ourselves by pulling back, building fences, and narrowing our circles in the hope that distance might bring reassurance or a sense of control. But healing as a community does not come from standing apart. It comes from staying present with one another and choosing connection.

In times like these, how we choose to show up for one another becomes especially important. This Christmas, I invite us to come together and instead of building fences, to build bigger tables through small acts of care and thoughtfulness.

Tables where there is room for kindness and compassion. Where people feel welcome and at ease, and where no one is expected to have everything worked out or to be strong all the time. Tables where it is safe to arrive exactly as we are, carrying whatever this season has placed in our hands.

Building bigger tables does not require grand gestures or perfect words. It often begins quietly, with a genuine check-in, an offer of help without expectation, a moment of patience when days feel full, or sitting alongside someone who is doing it tough when words are hard to find. These moments matter more than we sometimes realise. They are how trust grows, how care is felt, and how hope is gently sustained.

At its heart, community is about belonging, about knowing that we are seen, that we matter, and that we do not have to face difficult moments alone. Especially during times of uncertainty, our willingness to look out for one another creates the conditions for healing, care, and connection to grow.

This Christmas, I encourage all of us to be gentle with ourselves and with others. To reach out rather than retreat, and to make space for connection in small ways. In doing so, we affirm something essential. That compassion is stronger than division. That love endures beyond moments of fear or loss. And that hope is something we can nurture together.

Thank you for the care and kindness you bring to others, in ways seen and unseen. I wish you a safe and merry Christmas, and I look forward to working with you in 2026.