Christmas 2009

My close friends and I just concluded our annual Christmas party last weekend. We normally have the party on a Saturday so people don’t have to wake up early the next day, but this year we held it on a Sunday.

In all our years together, it was the first time we conducted this late in the year and on a Sunday. We normally hold in early so it doesn’t conflict with other activities. However, this time around, we delayed everything till our 13th month bonuses had come in.

Due to a lot of changes this year, we were a much smaller group. Many of our friends had migrated to other places and have started families in their new adoptive countries years ago. This has made it difficult, if not impossible, for them to come home during the holidays.

I will admit, days before the party I was feeling a bit melancholy as I longed for the days when our big group of friends would get together for a night of jokes and heated discussions. But that was not to be this year. From a big group of eighteen guys and their families, we have been whittled down to five families last week.

With our parties always being “potluck,” it meant that there would be less food and drinks this time around. The number of kids would drop, lessening the amount of laughter we could hear during the party.

So when the appointed time came about, my spirits dropped even further when I heard that a couple of families could not make it due to sickness and work. The remaining families also called to say they would be late due to traffic and unfinished errands.

But when the people started trickling in, all my gloom was washed away. It was really good to see my friends again. It was great to share a simple meal with them and relive the old days. It was fun to pick on each other and trade the wittiest jokes that sprung to mind.

Yup, this year had a lot less of us together, but like my friends would say, it’s not the quantity, but the quality of the company that makes Christmas the best.

Merry Christmas to one and all!