Christmas Traditions - Installment Seven

The annual Bonco dinner/party.gift exchange.

Or better titled for 2010 "The year Splenda copped a feel on Donna"

Okay, so I have talked about this group of friends many times before.  They really are the greatest people ever! And even though we started about 18 years ago, we haven't actually played the game bonco for about17 years.  Yet month after month we get together for dinner, or something else fun and catch up, talk, vent, laugh and create more and more memories.

This year's Christmas get together will go down in history.

We all met at the Dewitt's lovely home and Debbie had already ordered Chinese for us!

Dinner was the bomb - but then it's hard to go wrong when you order from Enjoy.  If you are ever in the southwest part of the Salt Lake Valley - hit me up and I'll take you there.  It's the best!

l-r around the table

Splenda, Val, John, Rob, Scott, Debs, Debbie, Donna and Wendy

Same shot only now I'm there and Debs is behind the camera

After dinner we went back up to the family room and started chatting.  Deb had bought a new game.

If you haven't played this, then you are serio missing out!  I think it might be the funnest game I have ever played.  We had 10 people playing so we modified slightly and ended up with two teams.  Boys against girls.  As it should be in any rousing, entertaining, and hysterical game.  Especially with our crowd.

I'm not gonna take the time to explain the whole game, but there are questions that you have to answer "would you rather"  For example - would you rather go camping in high heels or wear birkenstocks to the oscar's?  On occasion there is a challenge card issued.  The challenges are physical and involve general humiliating amusing stunts.

Debs had to lap water from a saucer for 30 seconds

Donna had to slow dance with a mop for 60 seconds.

Some sock switching between us girls

And then poor Splenda.  Now let me remind you.  My cute little Splenda is a very quiet, conservative, "never draw attention to myself" kind of cat.  We are polar opposites.  Yin and Yang .  So to have to do a challenge that involved being the center of attention is NOT his comfort zone.  Even with friends of 20 years.  Just not his style.

His challenge involved being blindfolded and then using only his hands and only touching his teammates faces, he had to correctly identify them. After much coaxing and encouragement he finally agreed to do the "stupid" challenge.

Debbie provided the blindfold and three of his teammates lined up for him to correctly identify them.
Unbeknownst to Splenda, John substituted his wife Donna in his place and well, Splenda reached a little low, and well....... it LOOKED like there was some brushing of a boob. 

(it all happened so fast {thats what she said} that I didn't get the money shot!)

Oh.My.Heck.  We fell apart laughing hysterically.    Splenda ripped off the blindfold while the rest of us were rolling around on the floor and the couches crying tears of laughter.  Really - not wise that people our age laugh that hard and that long.  Our wicked old bodies aren't necessarily up to the toll.  I'm sure that someone peed a little.  I think we are lucky someone didn't break a hip or pop a lung!

We finally calmed down and finished the game - with the girls winning of course.
We also do a white elephant exchange - the same ugly hats keep coming back year, after year, after year.

A snuggie even showed up this time.

Some more laughing, teasing, pie  and then it was time to call it a night.

Another successful year with my Bonco besties - I love them all to the moon and back!

PS - for the record - Splenda states that there was NO actual touching of a boob.  It looked like it, but merely was a brush of his hand on her shirt.

Suuurrre........  we all believe him.  We really do.

Christmas Traditions - Installation Five

The Ward Christmas Party

For my non-LDS friends, a ward is the congregation that meets each Sunday.  Members are determined by geographical boundaries - at least that's the simplified way of explaining it.

Our ward has the Christmas party fairly early in the season, which I personally prefer.  And it always includes a great dinner, and then some entertainment.

For the past several years, we have had the high school Madrigal singing group or other performing choir come and perform.  Which for us older adults, is great.  But for the scores of little kids, it can make for a painful evening of being sssh'd and having to sit on hard chairs.

This year, I don't know who had the brilliant idea, but it was PERFECT.  They had the primary kids present the program.  Hands down, it was my favorite year!

Was it the cute songs?  The little ones dressed like angels, shepherds and wise men? 
Or was it really my own personal star of the show?

So when they called all the primary kids to come and get into costume, Sissy watched and decided she wanted to be a part  of it.  I tried really hard to get good pictures

she wouldn't turn around, but from the back she is a dang cute shepherd kid

While the kids were getting dressed The Brownings performed and Bishop accompanied on the guitar.  How many of you can say your Bish can shred it up on the guitar?  yeah, I didn't think so - he rocks!

Some ventriloquism work - nicely done Jared!

The kids started to gather but Sissy was more comfortable having Splenda close at hand for the first few minutes

getting a little bored.  In fact, at about this time, they moved a couple of young kids up to the stage to be narrators.  Sissy decided that she wanted  to be on stage to, so much to my embarrassment, she got up, walked around the group of kids, climbed up on stage and proceeded to cross the entire thing to sit with the narrators.  Splenda lost the paper/scissors/rock and had to go after her.

Finally on stage.  Why yes, that IS a cookie she eating.  She snagged that as they were walking up backstage

She was mildly interested in the other people on stage with her.

This pic is dark, but notice the shepherd staff in her hand.  This becomes important later.  She totally kifed it from some other child

This is one bored shepherd - such true Sissy fashion

And this one is purely for my friend Karen.  Now she can snag it and blackmail him the rest of his life.

The cutest little shepherd ever has tossed the turban (itchy), finished her cookie, had to give back the staff and is now ready to go home.

And while I got some crappy pictures, cute Kirsten got some awesome video.

My cookie-eatin, ninja bo-staff wielding shepherd girl

She is the one on the far right of your screen. Seriously was the crack up of the program. 

Thanks Kirsten for sharing the video

Best Ward Christmas Party evah!