Holiday Party Goodness

More is coming on the Phoenix trip-- I want to include photos, and I can't find my cable to upload everything from my card... so hopefully that'll be coming tomorrow, along with my gift preparations, holiday cards (I have sent like... two), two weeks of laundry, stringing lights on the deck, cleaning out my email, shopping as needed, maybe seeing Alexander with Erich, and cleaning out the penpalling corner a bit.

Nah... I have NOTHING to do! Can you tell?

*sigh* Holidays, gotta love them. I'm in denial that Yule is here on Monday. I'm in bigger denial that Christmas arrives this coming weekend. Where the hell did the time go? I swear, my brain goes into denial of the holiday season until about a week before. By that time, I've rememorized "Do They Know It's Christmas" during my commutes-- even though I always catch the song where Bono starts singing-- and gotten so sick of Annie Lennox's version of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" that I'm ready for the holidays to be over.

But what REALLY makes me realize that Christmas is almost here is the company holiday party. Ours was yesterday afternoon-- during work hours so everyone can make it, and spouses don't come (and no babysitters required). My company rents out the ballroom of a local hotel since we have 200+ people at the thing. There's a yummy lunch, open bar for a couple hours, and the best part of all-- the silent auction.

The very cool thing that my company does during its holiday party is the silent auction. Coworkers donate items, which range from small handmade earrings to bottles of liquor to gift certificates to their own works of art (and everything in between). They're displayed on tables, and for the first two hours of the party, people can write their bids. Some items get pretty fierce-- one of my department co-workers bakes baskets of gingerbread cookies every year that fetch a good penny. And two others in my department put their own original oil paintings into the auction, both of which I know fetched over $350 this year.

The best part? All of the money raised during the auction goes to charity. So while we're celebrating the holidays, we're also helping others to have a bit more cheer as well. Last year we raised over $7,000 in four hours. I'd imagine that it'll be close to that again this year.

Another good thing? I have a chance of finding things for my parents. I hate shopping for my parents-- they have everything. I have no clue what to get them. Ever. And I don't dare ask them, because Mom usually says not to get her anything (which would make me feel like shit, so I ignore her) and Dad gives me lists that have items out of my price range (because he forgets that unlike himself, his daughter doesn't make a doctor's salary).

Granted, the fact that I'm still on very wary and distant terms with my dad doesn't lend to lots of presents, either. I seriously doubt I'll be getting anything from him. BUT... I wanted to get him something small, at least because my internal guilt trips last year were too nasty. So... I bought him the official locker room T-shirt for the World Series, and an official baseball. Nothing expensive, but he's a baseball fan (Phillies), and it's something I know he can appreciate at least.

Mom's presents came yesterday by chance-- thankfully. I've decided to lump her presents, since she always protests, into presents for her and her doggie. As is family tradition, I bought her the yearly ornament for the tree-- this year I bought her a collie dog ornament (since Shanti is a rough collie). And at the company holiday party, I was lucky to win the auction for two really cute bone-shaped toys that were all Christmasey.

So the 'rents are done. Now I just need to figure out a couple others, and I'll be all done so I can go back to being in denial until we're on I-87 heading to Pennsylvania at the end of the week...