Friday Senior Christmas Party

Ah, this social merry-go-round is leaving me dizzy. Today wore me out. I had to get up so early. I don't know how the elderly get up so early and have hair fixed and makeup and lipstick on. This shindig started at 10 am. I got up at 7 am to get there by 8 am to get a handicapped parking space or at least a close one. When I arrived, it was getting crowded, and I got the next to the last spot in front of the Civic Center.

I dressed, fixed my hair, and left home with jewelry and makeup in my purse. Sitting for almost an hour gave me plenty of time to finish putting myself together. With the motor running part of the time, I managed to not freeze like it was outdoors. They let us in at 9am. If I had not taken my walker, I would never had been able to withstand the crush and slow progress.

Even sitting in the lobby I was cold, well, just on right thigh where a frigid breeze was blowing in the front door. Finally, when  not another person could squeeze in, the bodies kept the wind away and warmed the lobby a bit.

My back hurt so trying to get from lobby to dining area--whole floor of the Civic Center. The walker saved me. I really need one with the seat.

I landed the first two spaces inside the door because you do not get run over there, and you don't have to squeeze into the aisles between rows of tables. This is not my first rodeo in this Civic Center. There is a huge aisle at the wall, and very little anywhere else. Plus, the tables in this section are recessed, unlike the other rows. Having secured good spots for the two of us, I waited for exbf to call and say he was in front of the building. I had also secured someone to park his car. As it turned out, he was at the furthest corner of the huge parking lot. He could never have made it walking with his walker.

We had huge mugs with candy, a candy cane, and hot chocolate packet. All the seniors wanted the fruit they gave us in years past. We have enough mugs!  Our places had a plain white mug, but I found pretty ones and traded for nicer ones.

First, there was a drawing for many nice prizes, including $100 bills, gift cards, wrapped prizes, and finally, a $500 prize. We won nothing. Last year, exbf won a gift card to Cracker Barrel. or somewhere. ???

Then, we were served lunch by dignitaries from town....lawyers, business owners and such...celebrity waiters.  A friend showed up really late when there were no more seats, so we got her a place setting, chair and settled her at the end of the table. She was the first served, I was second, and exbf was third. That worked out well.

The meal was all the usuals for a holiday meal, plus we got 1% milk and a bottle of water. Before and after the meal, a band played Christmas music. Some folk got up and buck danced to the music. Can you buck dance? I can. or could.

After the drawings, they always have prizes for various things. The oldest guy last year was 92 years old. This year, the same guy was the oldest again but he was 96. ??? He was also the oldest veteran.  The emcee also asked for the couple married the longest and both had to be present. Two ladies near us kept raising their hands for 60 years, 62 years, and finally 65 years and were about to win. I went down and asked them if they had been married for 65 years, thinking they may have thought it was age not years married. No, each had been married 65 years, but the husbands had died. There were elderly folk all over the place raising their hands, saying they had been married for years, yet there was no spouse present because the spouses were dead!

The elderly women still talk about how long they have been married down here. "I have been married for 65 years, but my husband died 30 years ago."  It is sad that they still count their years being married when the person to whom they are married has been dead for so long. Yet they still count the years. They can only identify as a married woman. A woman without a husband loses status!

An elderly couple came in late and I helped them sit next to me, getting chairs and fixing back their place setting. You see, people get things from unused settings and carry them elsewhere for various reasons. Their daughter came rushing in and sat across from them. We all got her a place setting back together.

That couple had actually been married for 65 years. They guy had a do over and they won $50. Their daughter had taken off work in Birmingham and had driven up here to drive them to the Senior Christmas Party. This is serious business around here. She took a picture of her parents with the reindeer light up antlers and the twinkling light necklace and set it via smart phone to her sister.

A man was handing out necklaces of Christmas bulbs, the kind that are the C9 size, not the tiny led lights. I got one of those. When he was handing out antlers to wear, I hobbled over the get antlers. As I approached our seat, the elderly woman with her husband had the biggest smile on her face, so I took off the antlers and gave them to her. She objected, her husband objected, and the daughter objected, but I insisted and she put them right on. I really wanted antlers, but I figured I had many more years to get antlers.

Later, he was handing out more antlers and necklaces. So, I got antlers for me and a light necklace for her. Our table was decked out. The friend at the end of the table got some doodads, too. Exbf refused to wear any. Other guys did.

The same guy that parked exbf's car, got it for him.  People had to help him off the curb to get to where the guy brought it. Two guys had to help him go off backwards with his walker. He almost fell. Without help, he could not do things, go places.

We drove back here and I came inside and packed his food to take home. I sliced slabs of ham and put them in separate pint freezer bags and left the last part for him to cut. He had at least 10  pieces of ham an inch thick, larger than a palm. I think I had 8 pints of homemade soup, plus 3/4 of a cherry pie, and some sort of commercially made frozen Italian sandwich, candy, and four Halos. It was so heavy I could barely carry it to the car. heavy for me.

He said to me before I left to go into the house, "Now, I want you to go out in public wearing the bulbs and antlers." He was laughing as he said it. Of course, I did. He knew I would without prompting.

Okay, this is too long. So tomorrow I will tell you about the guy I almost slugged at the party. And, the funny results of wearing my lit up reindeer antlers at WM. There was a third thing, but I forgot it already. I wrote the first two here so I would remember tomorrow. Oh, yes, third thing--I met a new and special friend.

I had to take a long nap!

Do we seniors know how to party or what? It was fun seeing friends.