We met last night for our annual Christmas party. Despite the absence of some treasured members, the rest of us carried on courageously. Everybody brought something to eat and a present that cost no more than $5. It’s amazing what you can find for under $5 or stuck in a closet or something.
We ate and talked and ate and talked and ate and talked. Then this loudmouth said, “It’s after eight. If we’re going to do the presents, we’d better get to it.” Joy tore some paper into strips and numbered them and put them into a container and we passed them around. Then we ate and talked some more. So this loudmouth says, real loud, “Who has number one?” Carl said, “I do.” After a pause of about three beats, this loudmouth says, “Pick a present!” So Carl gets up and starts hefting them to test their weight, shaking them, sniffing them…. So this loudmouth says, “TONIGHT, Carl.” After that, it went pretty quickly. Presents greeted with delight included: a dry-erase magnetic board for noting story ideas, a favorite book passed along to a new reader, and a “lump of coal” (chocolate) in an elegant glass candy dish.
A phone call came from one of our absent ones, so we got to say hi, anyway.
A fine time was had by all. We’re looking forward to the new year, with new projects and plans.
Happy Holidays, from St. Nicholas’ day through Epiphany and so on. Or, as Buzz Lightyear would say, “To Epiphany… and beyond!”
–The Loudmouth
Powered by ScribeFire.