December 2008

Happy Pokeno to all & to all a fat pot! This year, we celebrated Christmas retro style at Cosmo’s Tiki Bar. We dined on a variety of pizzas & other holiday goodies. Everyone enjoyed the food & merriment. Phyllis dressed up as Mrs. Claus (even sported red panties to match). Everyone looked very nice (see photographic evidence on the side) & had a great time! We laughed SO much that I couldn’t take notes at one point because my whole body was seizing up w/ the giggles. Therefore, I can guarantee that there’s stuff I missed (the shots I had didn’t help either).

We had our special guest “Santa” join us for this party. Most of you were “wise to the cock in the box”. The tunes were plentiful too. At one point, a dance party erupted. I was in the bathroom & came back downstairs to this craziness! Patt wouldn’t let me through until I busted a move. We danced for a bit, and then got back to business. Opening gifts/eating first worked out well. We started playing by 7, did 2 cover alls & wrapped it up around 10-ish. Not too shabby!

You ladies must’ve been REAL good this year, because there were presents a plenty! Everyone got cool stuff. Debi couldn’t get her gift open! Kate L. & Marge had each other! Peg got a cool scarf from Debi. Debi got “magic chips” from Phyllis. She swore it was the chips that helped her keep winning all night. She even bragged to someone that she’s still playing with the original dimes she started out with last year! Even Patt got into the crafting thing! She made a “zen candle” arrangement for Kate G. & a dancing plaque for Peg. Patt also handed out homemade chocolate chip cookies. One giant cookie went to the first cover all. Debi was quite pleased (again – the magic chips)! Marge passed out hand-crafted churches, while Phyllis & I each passed out hand-crafted balls. Peg covered everyone’s membership dues for the night. It was a really nice evening & good time had by all. Thanks again to Kate for being such a great hostess!

MYSTERY BOX

December’s mystery came courtesy of Peg-a-la. The big winner was Kate L. Peg put a lot of love into this Mystery – even if it was wrapped in a trash bag!!! She got a big cardboard box, covered it with various cards from friends/family & little cute sayings, stickers, etc. It was like a scrapbook! The box was so cute in fact, that Kate forgot to open it. No…there’s stuff inside! Oh boy! It was chock full of cards, gift bags, tape, wrapping paper, bows, etc. How cool is that? All your wrapping needs in one lovely box! Now Kate L. will have to think up something cool for her Mystery in January.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

We’ll be ringing in 2009 at my house this year. The party will be on January 10th @ 6:00. Everyone thought it would be fun to bring a variety of hors d’ oeuvres (that’s fancy talk for appetizers) for this party. We’re gonna have various stuffed pastries, champagne, cheese/crackers, mini crab cakes, potato skins & (hopefully) some cream puffs.

DECEMBER SHOUT OUT

Big thanks to Roger for tending to the ladies all night. He got coffee, tea, snacks, etc. And, he took care of Isaac to boot! Wow! At one point during the evening, Patt called him “honey”. I hope this makes up for the previous July posting & the “Keith Partridge” incident…

RANDOM FUNNIES

Silky shirts are distracting! Patt wore a very lovely red silk blouse for our party. However, she felt “slippery” & kept rubbing herself all night.

Is your mojo working? Marge wasn’t doing so well in the winning department. Peg thought it might be helpful to give her a hug & share some of her “mojo”. Mrs. Claus was on the other side & she got in on the action too. Now Marge was getting good mojo from both sides. We continued on w/ game play & Marge wound up winning Pokeno that round.

Don’t eat that! I guess Patt’s shirt proved to be too distracting for her own good. As I previously mentioned, there was lots of food. Patt had a little goody plate in front of her. She also had her dimes at the ready to be put in. She thought a snack would really hit the spot. She almost tossed a dime in her mouth thinking it was some delicious candy! Good thing she noticed it at the last minute. That would’ve been really disgusting!

CHRISTMAS FACTOIDS

• "Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. Players took turns striking a blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. Those medieval folks sure knew how to party!
• Yummy stuff! A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard. Christmas trees are edible. Needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition. Before you go digging in the fridge the next day – it’s estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers.
• Before settling on Tiny Tim for the character in "A Christmas Carol," other alliterative names were considered. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam. Personally, I think Puny Pete would’ve been a better choice!
• Good news for all you eco-conscious Pokeno Sisters! For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
• In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. They’re always the last to catch up with the rest of the world!
• In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by one of the Wise Men's camels. The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in the Wise Men's caravan. But, does he have a shiny red nose???

That's all the news fit to print for December. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each & all of you (& your families) a VERY Merry Christmas. And when you're stuck at that holiday party you really wish you weren't at - just be thankful these aren't Medieval times & you won't be blindfolded & beaten by the other party guests! See you fine ladies next year!