It has been hard to stay warm! Thankfully, there have been lots of opportunities to celebrate, to come together and raise the temperature of our spirits, whether through the award of degrees and prizes, or at events in the warmth of Cedar House.
Although the venue for the Artefacts Choir Carol Concert was not so warm, the 60th anniversary concert (and some mulled wine and hot chocolate) warmed our hearts, as did the news that the choir had raised over £46,000 for charity over the past 10 years.
I have also enjoyed greatly catching up with many of Y5 student doctors and sharing how much their evaluation and feedback has shaped the School that they will soon be passing as a legacy to future students, and then working with the Y5 team on the suggestions they made to support this final stage of their preparation to be an FY1. Likewise, it was wonderful to have the first chance since the pandemic to catch up with our international students.
It has been hard to keep up! There has been so much going on while the extra festive blanket of activities has layered on top of the usual ones. I expect I am not alone in looking forward to burying myself beneath a few other blankets for a good nap!
Of course, this time of year can be difficult. And I would like to encourage anyone who may be struggling to reach out to friends, or indeed make use of wellbeing and other services and activities that will continue to be available through the winter break.
I am very much looking forward to the many more happy occasions to come in the next term, but I do think it is important that the next few weeks provide some time when we can recharge, reflect on the amazing things and people that have been part of our lives this year and rekindle our own warmth to others.
Like Brooklyn, most of us are here because we love people. I hope that the next few weeks will give us all some moments to also love ourselves, in readiness to reboot the commitment to kindness that is at the core of our every day.