I am not a big fan of Christmas parties. I am all partied out. The two parties I was expected at are over..I can breathe a sigh of relief. Goodies were purchased..gifts were exchanged. All is well in Christmas party land.
My cousin was all decorated for Christmas..her tree was up and everything. I think hosting the Cousins Christmas Party may have something to do with that. Most of my cousins had some kind of old lady Christmas shirt on..some had ornaments..some had glittery poinsettias..some had snowmen. I wore my thermal hot pink top..you know the kind..it looks like long underwear and is toasty warm…and being thermal if I have a hot flash or two it absorbs all the beads of sweat. I do not have the inclination to muck up my wardrobe with some fancy smancy glittery thing that I will only wear once or twice a year. How in the world do you wash some of those 3D sweaters and vests anyway? Goodness sakes..I suppose they go to the dry cleaners. I have been there..I take my feather pillows there every five years or so to get cleaned and re-ticked.
At cousins the food was all potluck..I took a pork roast and some Chocolate Covered Cherries and some Turtles..my kind of baking..straight out of the package!
At the Historical Societies Party..it was order off the menu at a local restaurant..but with restrictions since we were a group of 18 we could not order anything but baked potato or French fries..and could not order their specialty a “Sizzler”..which is a decent steak served in a cast iron skillet. We thought we were being nice by making a reservation..instead it just gave them the opportunity to restrict us. I asked “Don’t you have enough cast iron skillets?..next year we can bring our own.” The service was fine..but the food was not that great..the salad bar had no herring and no sunflower seeds. Plus that..it smelled like grease in the place. I absolutely hate it when I am out for dinner and my hair comes home smelling of fried grease..it is still quite obvious that their fans in the kitchen have not improved. That was one of the reasons we stopped going out for dinner there years ago. We most likely will not return for a very long time. I would not have left a tip..but my husband overlooks poor food and feels sorry for the struggling wait staff.
Gifts purchased 2. Shopping days left..19. Decorations brought out 0. Trees decorated 0. The Hand Carved Christmas Ornaments will be all finished tomorrow morning..and Far Guy and I have discussed the tree:)
I have ONE Christmas party to go to this year, on the 15th. Nobody is exchanging presents, but it is a potluck. I have one black velvet top in my closet and I pull it out if I have to dress up at this time of year. I can put any sort of pin on it to make it festive, if necessary. I haven't worn it often enough to get it dry cleaned even once! :-)
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about eating out. I wouldn't bother any more except my husband enjoys it.
ReplyDeleteNo Christmas parties for us. No co-workers, no parties. Although I'd love to get together with the cousins. Have a high dose of coffee and get going, Christmas is a comin'.
ReplyDeleteWe are having a Christmas potluck get together on the 17th at mom and dads with some friends and neighbours no gift exchange just good food a laugh and conversations other then that it is going to be pretty quiet! I will put the tree up next weekend and decorate the house ! As for dressing up jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt thats my dressing up for me its what evers comfortable for me now a days ! We go to our local resturant/pub once in a while in the fishing town of Port Burwell off of lake Erie up the road from us its called The Light House Resturant its a nice family owned and opperated buisness with fantastic assortment of food and everyone is friendly! Have a wonderful day !
ReplyDeleteWe'll be getting together probably on Christmas Eve with my side of the family (which is small) and then on New Year's Eve with my husband's family which is totally a fun night. With the pressure of the holidays behind us, we can eat and play games and exchange white elephant gifts. I look forward to that!
ReplyDeleteNo other parties though. I guess those days are long gone...
I just Goodwilled all but one of my Christmas sweaters. A couple of years ago, my daughter bought me a long sleeve shirt (t-shirt type) with gingerbread decorations on it. I like it, it's not too flashy. I look at some of the sweaters that I've worn and cringe.
That is a gorgeous ornament. I don't have to go to the school Christmas party as I am only a sub. I would probably not go anyway. I hate going to smokers houses and having to come home and change clothes. Even if they don't smoke the smell stays in the house. I would have loved to smell like a steak, that sounds good, but I know the grease is not a good smell.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh - I haven't bought any presents or put up any decorations yet!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of Christmas parties- have my work do this Wednesday.
So many times I read your blog and think "did I write that"!!!! Today in particular, I wonder about those glittery tops but don't have the nerve to ask "how do you clean that?" As for the restaurant, give me a smell of grease and I'm gone. You made me smile on a dreary Michigan day.
ReplyDeleteI am struggling with the shopping thing. I did buy some gifts, had them wrapped and sent directly to hubby's parent's house.... where we will arrive in time to celebrate (???) Christmas. But... I have more gifts to go. The gift thing makes me crazy....
ReplyDeleteIt's our dog club Christmas party tonight. That's always a fun one. We go to a restaurant, play silly games while waiting for our food, and have a $10 gift exchange. One of those where you can elect to steal a gift that someone else has already picked instead of picking one yourself. A gift can only be 'stolen' twice. I always put a few jars of jam in a bag, and it is a hot item, and get's stolen to the max. If I end up something I don't want, I just hang on to it and donate it back to the raffle table when our club holds it's trials.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, a large group at a restaurant....you think you are doing them a favour, but it doesn't seem that way. A couple of years ago the restaurant automatically added 20% to everyone's bill without warning us, and some of us refused to pay that, as the service hadn't been very good
anyway.
There will be no glittery Christmas top worn by me tonight:)
I don't remember the last time I attended a Christmas party. My husband's company is in Memphis, Tenn. We live too far to attend theirs.
ReplyDeleteAnd since I have kids at home - I'm forced to decorate and have my tree up, regardless of whether or not I really am in the mood for it.
I have often wondered how they clean those wild shirts, too.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have to side with FarGuy about leaving a tip. The kitchen has nothing to do with the wait staff. I've been a waitress and they work hard, people aren't always nice, and they are paid below minimum wage because they expect they will make up the rest in tips. Go FarGuy!! :):)
Chance's ducky reminds me of Buddy's toys - if it has stuffing it was meant to pull out. I don't have any parties to go to anymore. I do miss them too. I wouldn't go back to that restaurant either.
ReplyDeleteBa humbug....I hate Christmas parties too. I haven't bought a gift or done a thing about it......maybe I just won't either....it's been so easy so far;)))))) doing it this way.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see other people don't minds baking out of a package. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to a Christmas party in years. I'm not much of a party girl. Just having a quiet get together with my daughter and her family. They are so busy with packing and getting ready for their week long California trip to the Rose Parade that Christmas is on the back burner this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on not getting in a big hurry to haul out the Christmas decorations. So much work and I'm too soon tired of them. Same with the parties. I love what Christmas is supposed to be, not what it's become.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence about parties; we go to a few, and when I'm feeling energetic and have time, it's great to relax and see friends we haven't seen for a while. Some years it seems that there's no where near enough time to go to them. My numbers are like yours, except I have 2 less presents than you do....
ReplyDeleteAnother advantage to being retire on this end. A my spouse, who belongs to umpteen charitable groups and social organization has many. Fortunately they are all ladies only. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I discuss tips, too - - - since I waited tables through school and know how hard it is. It's not just refilling drinks but a lot of other stuff before and after shifts - - - for less than minimum wage. So if someone does half decently, I try to tip them well. It beats being a waitress again.
ReplyDeleteMy gifts are almost all purchased. Tonight I have to tag some 'little' gifts for some preschool teachers.
Funny how when we get older the party thing and the gift buying gets less and less. Does that mean we aren't fun anymore?
ReplyDeleteYour comment on me this morning somehow or other disappeared. Probably from an errant finger of mine.
I was already to come over for home candy. What a let down to hear you didn't make it. LOL
ReplyDeleteI've picked up a couple of those tops at the thrify store but they are washable. No partys othe then with family. We only eat out if were away from home. I'm getting way to picky in my old age.
We have some family Christmas parties to attend and I'm excited about that. I don't like going to a party where I know only one or two of the people there. You need to check out my blog to see what I think about Christmas sweaters.
ReplyDeleteNo Christmas parties to attend here. Just my hubby and I to celebrate. Everyone in family lives on opposite coasts. Might get to see my daughter and grandkids if she doesn't have to work. Decorations are all up. Now I must start with the presents. Eating out is fun, but when it's disappointing like what you experienced, it kind of ruins things, doesn't it? Hope you get your decorating hat on soon. Take care.
ReplyDeleteGifts purchased: zero. Gifts expected: zero. Feelings hurt: zero. Family and friends relieved: dozens. I recommend it. Fa la la la!
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