Day 332: Party on

This afternoon was our church's Christmas Party (I think being a church we're allowed to call it that). We had an excellent (a bit too good probably) pot-luck meal. The children disappeared into the basement to watch movies until it was time to play the present game.

For the benefit of those like me who are new to this - it works like a lucky-dip secret Santa, everyone bringing a wrapped gift and putting it under the tree. Everyone then draws a number and in turn chooses to take a gift from under the tree and unwrap it or take someone else's unwrapped gift. If they take something, the now empty handed person chooses to take someone else's or take a new gift and unwrap it. As we were getting ready for this we realised that Exile #4 was missing - this is how we found her (one of the 'big girls' of the house was kindly sitting with her). She was gently persuaded to stir and come to join us. The game was complicated but fun, although we had to tread carefully around some of the younger children and their understanding of why someone could take away the gift they'd just received.

The drive home was uneventful apart from having to pause the music to tell the girls the title of each track - followed by their regular chorus of "I love this one"). The songs receiving this rapturous welcome were (I'm delighted to say) from Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob and Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger. It's not hard to tell, they've learnt my lessons well.