I belong to a poker group that meets once a month during the year. We are the LEAST serious poker group you can imagine. We have a paper on each table to help beginners know what hands are best, and signs to remind us of the value of the chips, nickle, dime or quarter. But we go for the laughs, the stories, the comraderie. It is always great fun. It is especially fun, when our monthly hostess Fran, puts on the December party.
With help from husband Jim who makes the chili and cornbread, Fran's house is warm and fully decked out for the holidays. Everyone brings something to share. Last night we had some delicious salads, including Jan's famous coleslaw and ramen salad (recipe will be shared at another time), Marie's delicious cheesecake, and my own chocolate chip cookies, and lots of champagne. Food was delicious, everyone was stuffed.
Then came the fun. Everyone brought a $10 gift for the gift exchange. It's amazing the good stuff you can get today for $10. Gifts ranged from Crabtree and Evelyn handcream, to a Coffee Bean gift card, to fancy socks, ceramic trays, and a styrofoam snowman that lights up. Each person, in order, chooses a gift. If it's your turn you can either pick a new gift or steal one from someone else. There was lots of moaning and groaning last night, as the Coffee Bean gift card and the light up santa were both stolen several times. In the end, everyone seemed happy with their gift, we all had a lot of laughs and are already talking about next year's party. Jim was smart. This year he went to the movies rather than being subjected to all the noise. His best comment ever during poker was when he came downstairs one particularly noisy evening and said, "I hear a lot of talking, but is anyone listening?"
With help from husband Jim who makes the chili and cornbread, Fran's house is warm and fully decked out for the holidays. Everyone brings something to share. Last night we had some delicious salads, including Jan's famous coleslaw and ramen salad (recipe will be shared at another time), Marie's delicious cheesecake, and my own chocolate chip cookies, and lots of champagne. Food was delicious, everyone was stuffed.
Then came the fun. Everyone brought a $10 gift for the gift exchange. It's amazing the good stuff you can get today for $10. Gifts ranged from Crabtree and Evelyn handcream, to a Coffee Bean gift card, to fancy socks, ceramic trays, and a styrofoam snowman that lights up. Each person, in order, chooses a gift. If it's your turn you can either pick a new gift or steal one from someone else. There was lots of moaning and groaning last night, as the Coffee Bean gift card and the light up santa were both stolen several times. In the end, everyone seemed happy with their gift, we all had a lot of laughs and are already talking about next year's party. Jim was smart. This year he went to the movies rather than being subjected to all the noise. His best comment ever during poker was when he came downstairs one particularly noisy evening and said, "I hear a lot of talking, but is anyone listening?"
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