Hope everyone is having a great weekend.
We spent Friday and Saturday out of state, as we were invited to a holiday gathering of my old friends from the previous library that I had worked at for (7) years, until we moved in April of 2009. It was great to see old friends and meet some new people as well. There were over 30 people (with guests), and my dear friend, C, graciously hosted the party. Plenty of food, drink and the highlight as in past years was the 4th annual (Yankee Swap). Have you ever participated in one of these swaps? This was so much fun, as the gift you brought could not be bought. It had to be something that you had at home, so almost everyone received a ridiculous gift. My husband ended up with a plastic utility type light, and I got the weird angel lamp back (that I was hoping to get rid of), other unusual gifts were a snowball maker, corkscrew, jar of homemade jelly, (2) dozens of fresh eggs, place mats, a head shaver, coffee mugs, frosted beer mugs, a wreath and more. The entire group had loads of laughs and lots of fun trading with others....LOL
We stayed overnight at a new hotel in the area which was really nice, even though it was just a (2) hour ride. Neither of us enjoy driving at night anymore. So while we were there, we checked out our old neighborhood and a couple of favorite stores. Even though we love our new place, new town, and are now close to family once again, I do miss our old town, friends and my old job. Working in a college library is just not as much fun as working at a great public library......oh well, life is full of compromises right?
My reading was a bit slow this week. I still need to post a review on Moonflower Vine
by Jetta Carleton (highly recommended). Right now I am listening to The Lonely Polygamist
(good, but long), and finishing up, A Cup of Friendship
; Rodriguez (very good).I did watch a few movies this week: Blindness
(based on the Saramago novel); I liked it. I also watched The Talented Mr. Ripley
and an all time favorite, Misery
.This week will include more parties and celebrations, right through the end of the year. (Night a great time of year for dieting).
I hope everyone has a great week.
I have never heard of a Yankee Swap, but it sounds like a great idea and a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteThe holiday party with your friends sounds like a lot of fun - especially the Yankee Swap. I love that!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you had a good time, it's nice to see friends you haven't seen in a while!
ReplyDeleteThe Yankee swap sounds like a lot of fun. It is nice to return to the places you used to live in once in a while to see what has changed and what has stayed the same.
ReplyDeleteWe have an annual Christmas party with extended family (cousins galore) and the highlight is always our Yankee Swap! We set a $ limit on gifts - some are serious, some gags, and there's always one from years past that makes a reappearance. Lately it's been a Hello, Kitty toaster. Glad you had such a good time with old friends.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of a Yankee Swap either but it sounds like it is sooo much fun!
ReplyDeleteActually I would have been tickled with the jar of homemade jam/jelly, the eggs, coffee mugs and a few of the other things that were mentioned. What fun!
Oh, it amazes me that all the states on the upper East Coast can be reached in a short time. I have only been to one New England state (Massachusetts in the 1980s), but when I was there, I felt such a connection to the area. I almost impulsively decided to stay! But then I remembered all of my West Coast connections.
ReplyDeleteI've segued here...But the Yankee Swap sounds wonderfully fun, even though the gifts are silly.
Here's my Sunday Salon:
http://accidentalmoments.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/the-sunday-salon-dec-5/
I read Blindness last year and every since have wanted to watch the movie. That being said I am also afraid to watch the movie because of all of the graphicness in the novel. Sounds like you had a fun time..hope you have another great week as well :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun way to spend a few days. Sometimes I think getting away just a few hours from home is more fun than longer trips because you're not so tired when you get back.
ReplyDeleteHave more fun!
ReplyDeleteRight now I am happy to be back in the reading mode, although a bit slower!
Here is my Weekly Geeks post!
The party sounds fun. My cousins have one of those swaps all the time on Christmas Eve and it is a lot of fun. Have a great time with all your celebrations!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear that you are a librarian. I retired last February and miss the excitement of the holiday season at work. (I have to admit, though, that I didn't miss participating in the two-hour nighttime Christmas parade in the cold, cold weather.) At our holiday parties, we always did "Dirty Santa" -- also a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are having a great holiday season so far!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you had a nice visit with your friends, Diane! It sounds like you have a busy week ahead of you. I hope you enjoy all the holiday festivities. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of reviews I need to write. Whether that happens today or not is up in the air. I'm more in a mood to read, something I haven't been able to do the last couple of days. So, I think that will be my priority.
Enjoy your week!
We have White Elephant gift swaps like that sometimes and you can get really interesting gifts that way. :) One person ended up with old hair rollers at a party I went to a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI hope the rest of your parties are lots of fun!
I've never heard it called the Yankee Swap---we call it White Elephant---but we do it every year at a gathering of our Breakfast Mamas, a group of friends for many years.
ReplyDeleteVery fun.
We have a Christmas party to attend where we bring a gift from home too. They are always so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI love holiday swaps! I've never done a Yankee Swap, but I've done similar swaps. So much fun!
ReplyDeleteI have A Cup of Friendship waiting for me -- I'm glad to hear it's good! I've not seen Blindness, but I can't wait to read it.
That is one of the fabulous thing about the holiday's - getting to catch up with old friends! Sounds enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI've thrown dieting out the window right now and I'm sure I'll regret it next year but oh well! The Yankee Swap sounds like fun except when you get back what you were trying to get rid of in the first place!! LOL!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a nice time visiting with old friends. The Yankee swap is new for me - sounds like a great idea for a Christmas party.
ReplyDeleteEach of the movies you watched was based on a book - was that deliberate?
ReplyDeleteI still have yet to see Blindness - I'm afraid to as the book was desolate and haunting.
Oh, I do hope that you enjoy The Lonely Polygamist! It is a long book, but one of my favorite reads of the year. I will be interested in finding out what you think of Rusty.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankee Swap sounds kind of like the White Elephant gift swap I've done. Same theory, don't buy a gift, find something from your home to give.
ReplyDeleteA head shaver? Interesting....:) Happy SUnday!!
I alway love a good Yankee or White Elephant swap. Makes for good laughs, usually. Sorry you got stuck with what you brought!
ReplyDeleteI think the weirdest swap item I ever contributed was this giant R that I found in the trash. It was like 4 feet tall..and painted black. Of course, the guy that won it was named Rich so he proudly displayed it at work up till his retirement.
The Yankee Swap party sounds quite fun. I went to something similar years ago but it had a different name.
ReplyDeleteNice relaxing weekend you had.
I very much liked the book, Blindness. I'll have to see the movie.
The Yankee Swap sounds like fun ... a bit like something I did at my old job, but they called it something else. The more ridiculous thing you could bring the better. It was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of a Yankee Swap but that sounds like it would be good for some laughs - especially after some wine :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a lovely weekend getaway!