In four days, the lovely Lin and I have been to three holiday parties. Now that’s not to say that we’re partied out, but it is clear there are differences in these seasonal gatherings.
In my opinion, there are three main types of holiday parties:
- the husband’s work holiday gathering
- the wife’s employer’s party
- the neighborhood festivities
The husband’s holiday gathering requires the wife to participate in a festive mood with all the charm and friendliness that spouses are known for. She may know a few of the husband’s associates for which she can converse in more knowledgeable dialogue. Of course, talking with the unknown associates requires more effort to find some type of common ground. If the husband and wife separate during the evening, the wife must work harder for conversations while the husband has no troubles–the attendees are his associates.
The wife’s holiday gathering is nearly identical to the husband’s. The wife knows nearly everyone at the party while the husband struggles to remember names and who works with who. Throw into the mix a spouse for each of those associates (or significant other) and the intellectual abilities can be taxed to the maximum.
In both situations, the hardest part is when everyone starts to seat for dinner, if one is on the agenda. If you have arrived late, and the seats near your office worker friends are full, you are forced to find a table elsewhere. Such a table may or may not have other people that you actually want to sit with and have a dinner conversation. Or maybe you’ll be ignored because all the others at the table know each other better and prefer to enjoy their company. The resulting scenario leaves said husband and wife conversing with each other, and maintaining some semblance of civility for sake of the party.
As you can see, the spousal employer’s holiday party can present a lopsided cheer for any given couple. That’s not to say that all holiday gatherings are the same. There is one more type with an even distribution of acquaintances.
The last scenario is perhaps the best. The neighborhood holiday gathering is a common ground for all involved. Both wife and husband know all the neighbors, and all the neighbors know them, where they live and their kids. And, there is always opportunity to learn more about your neighbors, just getting to know them better.
There comes a point in any of the holiday gatherings that you sit back and take it all in and look for the harmony in the moment. It could be a group of middle managers imitating the Village People on the dance floor. It could come at that moment when the appetizers arrive at the table and they disappear within seconds if you’re not paying attention. Or it could come as you realize that most of your neighbors are having a great time while conversations run deep and everyone is reveling in the atmosphere of the gathering. And, as people disappear into the evening, you hear sincere holiday wishes for each other, and accolades for a well planned event.
Life is good, and all is in harmony in the neighborhood. To have neighbors such as ours, is to be blessed and truly rich.–DBrent
“From every house the neighbours met,
The streets were fill’d with joyful sound….”
Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1914
Technorati tags: Christmas, holiday partys, progressive dinners, neighbors, neighborhood
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