Advent 7 - time to celebrate?!?

Love this story ...

My friend Tony Campolo tells a story that serves as a great parable...
He was in another timezone and couldn't sleep, so well after midnight he wandered down to a doughnut shop where, it turned out local hookers also came at the end of a night of turning tricks. There he overheard a conversation between two of them.One, named Agnes, said "You know what? Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm gonna be thirty nine." Her friend snapped back. "So what d'ya want from me? A birthday party? Huh? You want me to get a cake and sing happy birthday to you?" The first woman replied "Aw, come on, why do you have to be so mean? Why do you have to put me down? I'm just saying it's my birthday. I don't want anything from you. I mean why should I have a birthday party? I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now?"

When they left, Tony got an idea. He asked the shop owner if Agnes came in every night, and when he applied to the affirmative, Tony invited him to a surprise party conspiracy. The shop owners wife even got involved. Together they arranged for cake, candles and typical party decorations for Agnes, who was to Tony a complete stranger. The next night when she came in they shouted "Surprise!" - and Agnes couldn't believe her eyes. The doughnut shop patrons sang and she began to cry so hard she could barely blow out the candles. When the time came to cut the cake, she asked if they'd mind if she didn't cut it, if she could bring it home - just to keep it for a while and savour the moment. So she left, carrying the cake like treasure.

from The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

We need to be people who celebrate not just at Christmas but at every opportunity, everywhere and with everyone, especially now when the worlds rapidly losing reasons to do so...