I will tell you more about the reason for the horse Christmas picture in my next post – soon I promise – but I must go now — Grandma needs the computer and I must get shaved and etc.
To the party we go – actually we went in a golf cart!
Last evening we went to a “Christmas Party/Dinner/Dance for the community. One would expect lots of Christmas decorations, lots of laughter, Christmas turkey/ham, Christmas cookies, and lots of dancing.
It was preceded by happy hour! It was a very nice time but a little different than some of the loud laughter dinners we have had with our friends on the Island, and it was not focused on single interest subject conversations like Grandma’s art gatherings, or like our horse show gatherings or like the Merry time dinners with long time friends – friends, that in the past I shared international business meeting challenges with as well as the many previous happy times we shared like the one last month where we spent a week-end at the beach together.
Before I comment, I want to emphasize that we had wonderful folks at our table – all very courteous, polite, confident, interesting, and positive folks. Most with very large motorhomes – who travel at least 3 months each summer – and many who travel north to be with family for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other religious holidays. Grandma and I do very well talking with and listening when we meet new people. So we had a great time.
The band consisted of two folks, for some reason the third member could not make it. Dance time lasted for 1 1/2 hour. I think there were maybe four songs played where a good number of couples danced (Two slow ones and two sort of fast and non-descript) – No happy jitterbug, rock and roll, polka, jukebox honky-tonk, country western, or Texas two-step.
The Christmas decorations consisted on one poinsettia per table.
During the happy hour I participated in and observed numerous conversations – some with men, some with women, some in mixed groups. These conversations produced very little laughter. You know, conversations like these do not produce a lot of belly laughs: — where did you go this summer? do you play golf? did you see our new motorhome? the grandkids are coming for the holidays? did you get your house floor problem fixed? where did you live before you came here? what did you do for a living?
Most drinks were bottled water and economical wine brought by individual party goers who kept what they brought to themselves (Not a shared bar), at their own table of 4 couples. In most cases these folks only had brief knowledge of each other even though we live next door to each other in a gated community which is only 5 years old. Houses are still being built some many folks are brand new – we are in our home only 3 years.
Anyway, we are looking forward to next year’s Christmas Party — hoping for a little more Christmas to it, hoping for a little more party of shared drinks and shared fun laughter conversations after we all get to know each other a little better. Maybe it will start a later then 5:00pm and last beyond 7:30pm and have more traditional Christmas decorations, and traditional Christmas food and cookies, and eggnog. Maybe the band will be a little more tuned to get folks dancing. I hope it does happen in a year or so because I love a Merry Christmas Party
We did sit with an retired airline pilot – had the international route just after I left my IBM traveling job.
and a retired Metro North Engineer who drove the route of the train crash that happened in New York this week. He said he must have driven it a thousand times in the 1980’s.
Bye ’till next time!
Hey Grandkids, enjoy the party and be GOOD!I know who is naughty and good.
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