Saturday, December 22, 2007

Holly-in-Our-Hearts Holiday Hullabaloo

Friends, food, and festive feelings. What more could one ask for on the last weekend before Christmas?

Tonight was the Holly-in-Our Hearts Holiday Hullabaloo at Chez Tewkesbury. (To see larger images of our friends, click on the pictures.) Here's what I love about our parties. We had the following:

An environmentalist who works on automobile regulations and policy, a graduate student in psychology, a retiree and polka dancer from Nebraska, a webmaster for the Food and Drug Administration, a grant writer for a conservation and exploration magazine and occasional radio commentator for WAMU, a policy wonk who works on issues for the handicapped, a Berber emigrant and graduate student who currently works for a shipping concern, a public relations and media communications guru, a defense systems contractor, a retired teacher and grandma of triplets known as "The Peeps", and a cancer researcher and gardener extraordinaire.

We had every gender and orientation, race, creed, color, and nationality, religion and philosophy, age and education range imaginable. We were born and/or raised and/or have matriculated in and/or have lived or traveled in Morocco, the Philippines, Kenya, Mali, Virginia, California, Utah, Nebraska, Washington DC, Texas, Maryland, Moscow, London, Kyrgyzstan, and Vienna, to name just a few places.

We heard stories about seeing Dead Fred in Red Square, learned about Krampus--the willow-switch carrying harbinger of carnal purging around Advent in Austria, learned how to pronounce Ouagadougou, listened to Christmas music, compared notes on development work in Tashkent and Burkino Faso, learned why Gopher really left The Love Boat, and on and on and on. There was catching up with friends we hadn't seen in several months, as well as becoming newly acquainted with people we'd previously only connected with cyberly.

A huge thank you to every one who brought yummy, yummy food and noshies. We had a fabulous potluck, along with good wines, and a bottle of Gluhwein straight from Germany and brought to us by Merujo. (Other blogger presence, and Scary Feminist extraordinaire, included Tickle the Pear and her husband, MoBob.)

Somehow, we always manage to bring together what--at the outset--appears to be a disparate group of people and we end up having a wonderful party with wonderful people where none of the aforementioned titles and stations in life matter and where we meet and mingle as our most basic element: human beings. The result is always divine. If there is a heaven, I hope this is what it's like.

We invited far-flung friends this year, too. And while they couldn't be here with us in person, we love them and we'd like to send a shout out to Mary Ellen and Michael in Texas; Hilary and Jen in the U.K.; Diana and Scott in Switzerland; Teresa and Bob in the Bay Area; Lee and Angela and the Girlies in SoCal; Lisa and Dart and their kids in Montana; Phoebe and her beau in Colorado; and Donovan and Scott in NorCal.


Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Blessed Eid! Glorious Solstice! Peace.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 12/07


10 comments:

NG said...

I love that about parties - this sounds like a great one. Sorry we missed it!

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

NG: We really enjoyed ourselves. The next soiree we throw, you'll definitely be on the guest list!

Cele said...

Wow it looks and sounds like a great party. but now that you learned how to pronounce... Ouadougou would you please tell me how I'm thinking it must go something like "Qui-do-u-goo"

Sister Mary Lisa said...

Ah, I wish I could have been there. Looks like a lovely party full of interesting people and great times.

Siiiigh. Glad you had fun.

Wicked H said...

And Festivus for the Rest of Us!!

(Sorry, I blame that on the 2nd chocolate martini...hiccup)

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

Cele: Repeat after me: Wah-Gaa-Doo-Goo. And it was great fun. Wish you and Ducky could have been there!

SML: We raised a glass to you! One day, you'll be at one of our parties.

Wicked: Hey, pass the martinis! I could use one of those.

Mary Ellen said...

Oh, it sounds divine! So sorry we missed it. You throw amazing parties, Tewkes.

Whoa, when did Eco Fellow cut his hair??

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

ME: His hair looks great, doesn't it? We all LOVE it! He looks very sophisticated and mature with this 'do. I think he cut it last year in March or April? Maybe earlier? I can't remember.

We missed you at the soiree, too! Maybe next time...

Mary Ellen said...

I'm partial to the ponytail, but the short do does look great!

Here's hoping we'll be able to gather for holiday fun and partying. :)

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

ME: Trimming the 'tail actually makes him look younger. It's funny, though, 'cause I think Dr. Lala is partial to the ponytail, too. Meanwhile, Bee and I both love his new look. So, obviously there are two camps in the field of the EcoFellow's hair. Ultimately, though, Sister NoMo wins the argument, which is how it should be, I guess.

And yes, here's to holiday gatherings of Scaries in 2008!