Held November 17, 2012 at the home of Barb and Harm van der Veen
Harm and I offered to host this year's AMO+ Christmas Party, hoping against hope that Mother Nature would smile on us and NOT snow! As we got closer to the date, it looked like we would be lucky. Saturday, November 17th proved to be the best day ever! It was mild and dry - great driving weather for our guests! Just a few days afterward, our area got hit with about a foot of snow! Phew! Dodged that bullet!
Gary and Sonia were the first to arrive (those party animals!). By the time everyone had arrived, we were all downstairs swapping stories, or playing darts and pool. And the food!! You can always count on our members to bring the best munchies (Gary - you can bring your famous nacho dip anytime!). As we've done in previous years, there was a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. Even more fun than the actual choosing/stealing/swapping was watching our chocolate Lab, Jeep, open up a couple of the presents (using his front teeth ever so carefully). Hilarious!
We knew we couldn't compete with the party Jodee and Barb Scott threw last year (Murder Mystery at the Speak Easy) or the games nights that Ken and Roberta had put together twice before. We decided that we would have a formal sit-down dinner, complete with festive crackers (yes, even Harm wore the silly hat) and the good china and silverware. All 14 of us sat around a long table in our dining/living room and there was plenty of lively conversations going on. Lots of great food (thanks to everyone who contributed), topped off by Roberta's (now Ken Perrier's) famous dessert! I don't think any of us could have eaten one more thing! We all sat around that table for a couple of hours, not wanting to get up for fear of breaking the spell. That's what, I think, makes our club so special. We get along so well together and enjoy each other's company. AMCs brought us together - the people are what really matter!
On that note, we'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2013 bring prosperity and happiness.
Barb and Harm van der Veen
