Christmas Party Night

We had our annual Christmas Party last night, and I have to say that it was the best one we've had since moving out here from Clear Lake.  After moving to this community, we quickly discovered that hosting parties wasn't exactly at the top of the country hit parade. Our first Christmas here, we didn't give a party, and both my husband and I truly missed our usual kick-off for the holiday.

With each passing December since, we've hosted our Clear Lake-turned-Hill Country Christmas party. I made a point not to change anything in my party-giving style, and everyone here, little by little, has not only warmed up to our parties but has grown to anticipate them. And last night's gathering was, by far, the most fun because we figured out a way to get everyone engaged in the company of their friends and neighbors.

We always played Charades after having a pot-luck dinner at our Clear Lake house..... but out here, Charades just doesn't cut it, which we learned one year at our Halloween party. So we reluctantly gave up on Charades and just concentrated on the pot-luck dinner, an explosion of appropriate decorations, and everyone left our house with a little goodie-bag, book, or party favor. For the past month, I'd been buying little party gifts and wrapping them up and putting them into two separate baskets--- one for the ladies, one for the men.

At one of our recent Waldorf Wednesday teas, the ladies decided to do a numbered grab-bag exchange with Christmas ornaments (which is this coming Wed.)....... I took that grab-bag idea and made up pretty numbered cards, planning to do the same with the Christmas party gifts. Everyone picked a number last night, and starting with #1, a gift was picked from either basket, and then #2 got to 'steal' the gift from #1 or choose another gift... and so on down through the numbers, with #1 having the option of 'stealing' any of the previously unwrapped gifts or keeping what he originally chose.

Well, I cannot tell you how many loud laughs and hand-clapping and ooohs and aaahs that simple little party-game brought into that crowd last night. Everyone gathered in the living room, so we were all together in one room rather than being split up between the dining room and the living room........ and everyone participated happily and it was just so much fun because everyone was connected in a way that I hadn't seen here before.

Before we were half-way through the gift-picking, nearly everyone was suggesting that they all bring a wrapped gift to add to the baskets for the next Christmas party. It's just amazing to me that a simple game brought so much joy to everyone all at once, and if that isn't the essence of Christmas, then I don't know what else could be.