Wonderful Christmastime

Wow!

I can safely say that even though I know that I'm in the one of the busiest weeks of the year at both of my jobs, I'm totally floating on a jubilant cloud after this weekend.

Amena and I had our annual Christmas party, and it really came together splendidly. Not only was I completely happy with the food, and the additional new menu items I had prepared, but everything about the party seemed to flow effortlessly.

Everyone liked the house, and our tree, and the food, and there was much laughter and conversation. It really seemed to gel, and just played out to perfection.

Seeing most of our friends (there were a few notable absences, but also some new additions) all together having fun is why we started throwing this party in the first place.

I got to see my long-lost compadre, Dave, and meet his fiance, Catherine too. It was wonderful to chat again, and I soaked that up like honey mead and a warm fire. I'm still excited by the idea that we're back in touch again, and I look forward to seeing more of them.

Amena's new friends from her job seemed to enjoy themselves too. As usual, there were shifts of attendance, and people came and went regularly. Some of them even left to make an appearance somewhere else, and then came back. Now that's a compliment!

Although there was a nice homey atmosphere, the one thing I wish I had more of was room and seating for everyone in one place. I think it was still one of our best times ever.

The night was great, and our friends are great. The gifts that were brought were wonderful, and everyone was very generous. None more so than the surprise of the evening. Although it was late, and most of our guests had departed, our friend Camille had apparently planned to define the "saved the best gift for last". It was a night with one surprise already, in that our friend Jerry that had been on the phone from "Oklahoma" earlier that evening made an appearance.

Now, Camille handed me a gift to open that would trump anything else that had come before. I started off in my usual way, by opening the gift with my eyes closed, and trying to guess what it was. I could tell that it was a figurine of some sort, but gave up trying to guess. It turned out to be an ornament with Mortie and Ferdie(Mickey Mouse's nephews) sitting in front of a 60's era television, with the "Wonderful World of Disney" on the screen. The ornament has a push button that lights up the screen with colors, and plays the sound of fireworks going off just like the classic intro to that show. After seeing this, I was psyched. I was handed a card that started off simple enough. It was talking about how much Camille loved my wife and I, and what good friends we are to her, and then it proceed to get a little strange.

About halfway into the card, there was a section that read something like this, "...so you need to pack your stuff, because in about 4 or 5 months, I'm taking you on a DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!"

I was understandably floored. I think the only thing I could manage was an incredulous, "WHAT?!", surrounded by a comical look of disbelief. After that, I did the only thing I could think of. I threw the card to the side, ran over to Camille, and proceeded to hug and lift her off the floor, thanking her profusely.

If you know me at all, then you would know that a) I'm happy with any small gift from anyone, and appreciate everything I'm given, even if it's not a tangible gift to begin with [with the wonderful friends and reunions and times that I had already had that night, I was more than grateful], and b) I LOVE Disney! I love the magic that they have created on the screen, and the wonder of Disney World.

I'm still a bit dumbfounded by the whole thing. I've been telling everyone I know, and they can't believe it either. It's one the most thoughtful gifts I've ever been given. I'm not just saying that because I feel the need to gush because of the extravagance of the trip, but because it was given in the spirit of recognition for being someone's true friend. The gift shows that Camille also knows Amena and I well, because we're Disney fans, and had talked about going on the Disney Cruise since it was introduced a few years ago.

I'm just about glowing with all the good cheer I feel right now. I have so many good things in my life, and that was before the party. The blessings of true friends, the love that they bring, and the lives that we're all sharing has filled my heart with joy. I know that's a word that gets tossed around in some carols this time of year, but I really have it. It's not something that I'm typically known to have a lot of, but I hope I can keep it going as long as possible. It's made it really hard to stop smiling since Saturday.

I still have Christmas with my family around me, and a precious week off from both of my jobs to spend with my wife afterwards before the year's out. Maybe I'll get lucky, and my face will get stuck this way!

I want to thank everyone who came to the party for showing up, and sharing a wonderful night with us. I hope you all had as good a time as Amena and I did. I honestly can't remember a better party, and I couldn't ask for better company. You're all treasures to me, and I'm not just getting all sappy with that aforementioned joy overdose. My friends truly bless me just by being there, and I love you all.

I wish every single one of you, and your families, the very best and brightest Christmas ever this year...