Made clam and cheese spread on English muffin hors
d’oeuvres, and at 19:10 Kent and I left to go to Mary B’s and Frank
M’s apartment for the Meeting Street School PT party and wine/cheese tasting party. Arrived at
19:30 with Pam B and her husband Wayne K. Karen C already there. Then Janis and Bob S arrived, and Bev B and Sue P, who had taken a wrong turn
somewhere and were on I-295! When Lorna and Michael B arrived at 20:30, we
could begin the wine tasting, where everyone was really getting into checking the
clarity and sniffing bouquets, etc.
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| Set up for wine tasting |
First the Chardonnays; the Almaden being a
good turkey wine according to Kent, and the Paul Mason being inferior to the
Almaden. Next the white Zinfandels; the Sutter Home wasn’t very popular, but
had an interesting peachy color. The Los Hermanos was more of a rosé, and was
very popular, being called the most drinkable. The red Zinfandels, where I had
bought an outrageously expensive Ridge Fiddletown Zinfandel for 25% off, so it
was $12. It was a “beefy” wine, full of body and flavor, so that it made the
Almaden seem inferior. Next were three Beaujolais; the youngest being the best.
There were two Georges DuBoeuf and a Moulin à Vent.
It became a cheese tasting
party with such a variety of cheeses available, with a garlicky French cream
cheese of Boursin and Alouette, a Muenster, Bel Paese, Gouda, a brie, plus a
jalapeño cheese and Orange Delight.
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| Mary and her Christmas tree |
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| Janis doing the reindeer dance |
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| Frank and Bev |
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| Lorna & Michael |
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| Pam & Wayne, and Bev |
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| Bev, Sue, and Bob |
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Kent
Janis, Karen, and Pam |
It was time for the Secret Santa present
exchange, and I got a pair of earrings in a series of four boxes. I went around
asking if anyone wanted the boxes back, as a way to find out that Mary was my Secret
Santa. I was the only one who wrapped up a crazy tie for my significant other.
Mary had door prizes to give out: Wayne won the Playboy calendar, and Bev won a
gourmet meal at Mary’s. Sue was the last one to figure out that I was her
Secret Santa. The original nine bottles of wine were emptied, and another
opened before Kent and I left. I drove and Kent was soon fast asleep.
Saturday, December 22, 1984
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| Our Christmas tree |
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| Christmas cookies made with help from Kyle and Erich |
Tuesday,
December 25, 1984
Merry Christmas!
Left
at 6:30 to go to Mary Jane’s and let ourselves in. Kent made a pot of coffee,
and Barney came down. Mary Jane came down, and the
kids were slow to follow. Erich carried his stuffed raccoon and two huge Tonka
trucks. I was promised a three-minute explosion of unwrapping gifts, but the
boys wandered until being directed to the note Santa left by the cookie plate,
and the gifts under the tree in the front sunroom. They began opening their
gifts and examined each one.
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| Erich |
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| Erich |
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| Kyle |
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| Kyle |
It took about an hour, and then the adults were given gifts, even me, a nice blue and green scarf. Mary Jane went to make breakfast and we started assembling toys.
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| Kyle and Kent |
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| Erich, Knickers, and Kyle |
After breakfast, Harriet came
bouncing in and was boisterous for an hour before leaving. Kyle’s friend, Adam,
and his mother, Nancy, also stopped in.
We
left to go watch the video “A Christmas Story,” which was very good.
