Party 2006 – DC Chapter
Posted on 12/16/2006 6:26:41 AM PST by DollyCali
Christmas is the holiday to remember the birth of Jesus..., despite the questionable day chosen. . In the good old USA we use this holiday additionally for friendship and celebrations of those friendships for many weeks prior. In DC on December 9 the FReeper chapter had such a celebration. And what a grand one it was!
God provided the good weather for our birthday party for his Son An outstanding day for the FReep in Olney earlier also… FReeper’s Trooprally (Mr.& Mrs) opened their charming home in park-like setting(yes, the deer came also!) and provided an amazing array of food. Quality chefs would be impressed. Various Freepers brought various YUMMY food items..
I overate. I think everyone overate.
The music was great, the computer room “available”.. and yes, I used it! Loved all the holiday decorations that were in every imaginable corner. The table décor (many tables for many Freepers) was festive & fun.
The regular gang was there & many brought their spouses/significant others. A few of us traveled a distance to be with these special people - our FRiends. We were honored to have some VFW vets attend. These folks are supportive & participate in the Olney FReeps along the way. I didn’t see any frowns but lots of smiles and much sharing of the good memories of the past, the current political situation, and plans for the future.
Hey, it was a holiday party, but when you get two or more Freepers together, POLITICS will be discussed. When you have 40 at the event, LOTS of politics will be discussed. Don’t like it? Go to the mall instead!
Then came the gift exchange. I guess Kristinn was Santa (costume next year, boyfriend?). and it was a hoot. Lots of books & clothes..all with strong political messages were evident. Some gifts were more popular than others & were switched around mercilessly. Some (like Buford’s salt grinder) found a home & “stayed”. My friend Mark, true gentleman that he is, TOOK Steve’s book but promised to mail it to him when he finished it! There was only one tug of war over a gift…not sure if the stronger one won or the diplomat lost.
I picked out gifts I liked, so that if nothing else “grabbed” me, I could chose mine! Selfish, materialistic woman that I am! But when it was my turn (and I had 3rd from last number) I found it was hard to chose.. but did decide on one of the 10 anniversary Shirts!
I am sharing my pix & other attendees can chip in & share their pix/commentary. I will have the pix in smaller groupings in many posts rather than ALL in the opening segment.
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[Mr] & [Mrs] T say:
Special Thanks need to go out to several FReepers/Lurkers. THANKS to Apple Blossom and Sasha123 for taking time out of their busy days to help [Mrs] T set up; to all those who helped clean up after dinner; to Kristinn and Angelwood for the after dinner entertainment; to all those who brought dishes to share (the dishes were a complete success with fellow Freepers that there were few left overs); to BufordP for his grace; to Lurker Bill (aka Bill of MD) for lending the D.C. Chapter his chaffing dishes; to those FReepers who made the morning FReep a success. Finally, to DollyCali for taking some great pics and putting together this thread.
After a chilly morning FReep FReep in Olney, the FReepers arrived at the Olney Compound for some of [Mrs] T's deliciously famous coffee and a roaring fire in the fireplace, and a lot of small talk before the others arrived.
Apple Blossom read a very moving short book titled "The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas" by Trish Holland and Christine Ford. While it was written in the same playful tone of the orginal poem, Apple Blossom's reading made it come alive. The book hit such an emotional spot in Cindy-True-Supporter's generous heart, she went out and bought numerous copies for the wounded soldiers and their families. Other FReepers, after reading it, have also committed to buying them for soldiers they know. The words of the book have been making the rounds of the Internet, but the pictures really make the story come alive.
Our honored guests (Lurkers at Olney's Freeps) were Legionaries Glenn (USMC-Iwo Jima), Halsey (USMC-Korea) and Frank (Army-Korea). They all said that they really enjoyed themselves, being in the company of real supporters of our troops. They also said they were thankful to have been invited.
*** DOLLY- Glenn was the older guy, Halsey is the tall gray haired guy with bushy eyebrows, Frank was shorter guy. I was not there to hear their conversation, did you? ***
I would like to report that NO cigar ash fell into the mashed potatoes or onto the turkey and ham.
All the Freeper's seemed to enjoy themselves. Nothing warms a home during the Christmas Season more than having friends in your home.
Phil
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Merry Christmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year to All!!
(especially for you nuts from the DC Chapter!!!! lol)
Leo
Thank you Leo!!!!! same to you!
Cali & Molly my cats (who "helped" me for 2days w/photo editing & today in posting) and I hope you will drop by & check out what the DC crew did on Saturday December 9th!
Excellent Dolly!
Dolly, THANK YOU, so much, for sharing these wonderful pictures with the rest of us. Looks like a GREAT time was had by all. I am so grateful for Freerepublic and the many people here who share love of country, US military and our President. The DC Chapter is absolutely awesome and an inspiration....sigh, wish I lived there. Special thanks go to Kristinn for all he does!
I wish all of you....and the wonderful people on the Daily Dose (truly Sanity Island for me..) a blessed, merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!
I wish I lived close enough to join the DC group. Where can I get the bumper sticker in post 6?
I will bet one of the members knows (as they bought that as part of the gift exchange..they had 3 things in box..this sticker, an ornament & a ronald reagan shrt!). It was the most populary traded gift!
Hey, I have one of those 10th Anniversary FR shirts too. Looking forward to wearing it to the FResno rallies when the weather warms up. Maybe you can come to the annual FR picnic and rally next September (the second Friday and Saturday) and we can both wear our shirts. JK has one of the 10th Anniversary hats. We can make it the uniforme du jour. :-)
LOL!
I have a hat too...(snicker)....
Merry Christmas and all the blessings to the DC tribe of the FR nation....
Our Santa hats are off to all of you...
Your chapter forges the visible cutting edge of all we stand for here...
Standing on the front lines...
...In all Doc's costumes...
Taking abuse from the alleged powers that be...
Kristinn in front of the camera....
...And all of the many faithful staring down the Pinkies...
SAAAAAA-luuuuute!
How funny!
DolliCali, Thanks so much for putting together those pictures and the report. They turned out really great. It certainly was a fun party. Loved the link to you dancing, very cute!
P.s. I picked the anniversary t-shirt too. Really wanted the Reagan shirt (that BufordP was also wearing), but didn't have the heart to take it from Lurker Bill. Next year, look out! lol.
Looks like a great time was had by all, Dolly. How thoughtful to invite the VFW guys.
so nice meeting you ma'am~ I will FReepmail a pix link I have of you that was not posted...
So where was the real BufordP???
A Special Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. T for hosting the Christmas Party. Their home was decorated with lots of Christmas cheer. Mrs. T, hope you'll make the ham again next year : )
Looks like it was quite a shindig--sorry I missed it. Great pics!
D.C. Chapter Master List Ping
I received this from Zoomie81 and thought it deserves FR posting:
FINALLY, someone has come up with a Holiday Guide that I actually WANT to do!
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
(MY NOTE: Don't forget to first top the potato volcano with corn and turkey!!)
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have SOME standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally worn out and screaming,
This one is not new but cute (doggie lover that I am & J. Lawson's stuff is always great!
Off shortly to see movie Babel.. anyone see it? Looks like it might be a front runner at the awards.
Wonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
And a very MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and all the freepers!
Some FReepers relaxing between the Olney FReep and the Party.
Apple Blossom reading her "The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas".
Danang68 and two of the VFW Members.
Some of the last FReepers to leave, enjoying some of that lively political discussion.
Just beautiful. A wonderful time. Was so good to see many friends again. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Trooprally for the wonderful day.
DollyCali, You are a wonderful person. I truly hope to meet you again. You and trooprally (both of them) combined to make one of the best posts ever.
Buuump!
Warning ALL. DolliCali is a TRIP.
>Where can I get the bumper sticker in post 6?
From John Lipnicky (US Army, Retired)'s "Abe Lincoln" Flags and Banners shop in Fairfax, VA.
Try emailing AbeFlags@aol.com (or call 703-204-1116) for more info.
He has LOTS more of this kind of sticker and is looking for FReeper ideas to make anything else you'd like to see.
-iMM
>DolliCali is a TRIP.
And what a wonderful trip! Thanks, Dolly, for the great conversation and superb AAR!
-iMM
You've revealeda talent! Nicely done. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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