Pre-Christmas Festivities - Dec. 12 - Dec. 19, 2015

Saturday, December 12: Travelers World RV Resort gift exchange party was lots of fun. We gathered at 7pm in the Recreation Hall. Each person chose a number.

Mike selecting a number from the basket

When everyone had a number, the numbers were called in order. The first person whose number was called chose a gift from a table full of brown-paper-bag-wrapped gifts. As soon as you touched a bag it was yours (no shaking or trying to feel what was in the bag).

Table full of brown bags

Waiting for numbers to be called

Let's get this party started!

The early gifts were not stolen. It was not until the pig slippers below were unwrapped that things got interesting.

Bill with pig slippers

Gloria was very interested in the pig slippers and stole them from Bill.

Gloria stealing the pig slippers

Then the dog slippers were opened

From that point on, many gifts were stolen. A gift could only be stolen twice, then it belonged to that person. Popular gifts were wine, beer, slippers, food, and a purse.

Squirrel Brand nuts, traveler's mix

Karen opened a bag and found the biggest flask we had ever seen. Let's see how long she keeps it.

Karen with her new flask

MaryAnn opened up a container of truffles

Felix stole the flask.

Joslyn with her new bag.

When the gift exchange was over, Terry played dance tunes and a number of couples took a spin on the dance floor.

Steve and Margaret; Deena and Larry

Carol in her western wear

Darwin and Shirley

Line dancing is always popular. Here are BettyAnn, Lydia and Francine showing us how it's done.

BettyAnn, Lydia and Francine line dancing

We had a fun time and some laughs. One of the gifts was a "wife tamer remote control" which, when you pressed buttons, said things like, "Bring me a cold beer." The man's wife said, "That won't work. Get your own darn beer."

Sunday, December 13: My friend Susan M. has a cookie exchange party for her girlfriends once a year. She had it today from 2-5 p.m. She invited Bob over too and he could watch sports on their big-screen hi-def TV. We arrived early so I could bake my cookies in her big oven, and help her make and set up the hors d'oeuvres for the party.

Susan and Darren's Christmas tree

When everyone arrived, we put all our cookies on the dining room table, then went in the kitchen for wine and hors d'oeuvres. As we sat around the table, we had a chance to talk about our families, Christmas plans and walking.

Beautiful layout of the hors d'oeuvres

Hors d'oeuvres

Then we moved into the dining room, took our trays we brought, and walked around the table collecting cookies as we went. We picked up sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, Almond Joy cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate fudge mint cookies, fudge, apricot jam bars, date bars, chocolate-caramel-nut bars, and macaroons.

Sugar cookies

Macaroons

Snickerdoodles and chocolate/caramel bars

Chocolate-covered marshmallows

Apricot and date bars

The cookie exchange is my favorite holiday tradition in San Antonio, along with walking to see the holiday lights on the River Walk. Thank you, Susan, for inviting us to your home for the cookie exchange party!

Saturday, December 19: Travelers World RV Resort had their annual Christmas parade at 6pm. Decorated golf carts and a decorated stroller with a beautiful calico cat inside made a round of the RV park, then stopped in the Rec Hall for hot cocoa, cookies and singing Christmas carols.

Golf cart parade

Stan, Pat and Lanora

Joslyn and Warren

Fran and Tom

Pam and Bob

Back decor on Pam and Bob's cart

Cat in decorated stroller

Steve and Margaret

Guest from Australia in a beer shirt

Don and Jocelyne leading Christmas carols

Stan and Lanora

In addition to the parade, we also judged who had the best Christmas lights display at their RV site. The 2016 winner is Steve.

Terry congratulating Steve on the win

A good time was had by all.