So sweet and kind and yet so very Brett

From: Brett
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 9:24 AM
To:
Subject: Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party, Decemeber 26th 2005.

We are having an Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party at our house on December 26th, from 2pm to 8pm. This party is intended to derive pleasure from our gathering as friends during this time of year when many are celebrating their all equally worthy celebrations without favoring any of these celebrations directly over any other celebrations as that could offend someone and that is bad. You, as one of said friends with a working email address are invited, along with your family and any others whom you think appropriate whose email address I don't have or have wrong. I have been out of the US for the last three year end celebratory periods and see that things have changed somewhat about how the 'holiday' period is celebrated and acknowledged, so rather than be judgmental about it, I have decided to pitch in with the spirit of the times.

We will be grilling, with plenty of grill space and will provide some other food and drinks, but feel free to supplement the food and drink with anything you think is appropriate, 'holiday' themed food and drink is welcome, but non-holiday food will not be made to feel sad, at least not any more sad than it feels already during this stressful year end time of celebrations.

Children of all ages are welcome, the house is fairly child safe, but nothing substitutes for good behavior. Children that insist on singing parts of 'holiday' songs over and over will be politely asked to do so in the yard. Older children and teens are also welcome, we will attempt to have a 'cool' corner where they can gather and gripe about how this Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party is really lame so they can get their money's worth as well

Gifts. Nothing causes more heartache and mental agony at 'holiday' time. I have been lobbied for and against gift exchange at the party. I have been told that some people I love will stay away if gifts are exchanged, and I have been told by others that this is the only time some people see each other and is thus the optimum time to exchange gifts. Ahhhhhggghhhh. First let me explain my unique (or deficient) theory of gift giving, then I will cut to the chase on the gift policy at the Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party.

I love to give and receive gifts. I love it year round; when I see something that I think would be cool for someone I tend to buy it. I then often forget I bought it and it disappears into my home somewhere. Sometimes for years. I have the memory of a duck and I am terrible about making lists so I tend to forget who I have given things to and who I haven't. If you are still my friend you have probably forgiven me this, unless you are one of those bitter stalker types who have been planning a horrid and relentless revenge for years. Anyway, I give gifts when I remember to, sometimes prompted by 'holidays', sometimes reminded by birthdays, and sometimes just because I managed not to forget the item I bought or found that kicked the whole thing off in the first place. Anyway the long and short of it is that I am embarrassed every year by having forgotten to get something for someone I really, really wanted to get a gift for, but just forgot. Then I feel like I let them down. Then I forget about it and hopefully sometime in the next year or two I remember them and get them something and they continue to be my friend. So, as you can see gift giving can be stressful to me too, yet somehow I really end up enjoying it. You cannot be worse at gift giving than I am. I have over the years offended all sorts of good people be either forgetting them, or just giving bad gifts. So if the thought of gift giving and receiving depresses you, please just think of how crap I am at it and rejoice. Wow, that went nowhere really.

Gifts at the party. First off, the schmaltzy bit, you are the damn gifts at the party. You. Your presence. Your company. You get the idea. That is what all of us who will be at the Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party really want. We want to see you and yours. However, if you want to exchange gifts at the party you may, as long as you are reasonably discreet about it. Please don't open gifts at the party. As for gift giving, there is some stress about who should give gifts to who. Should adults give other adults gifts? What about just giving food gifts? Only gifts for the children? I can't solve any of that for you, as noted above I am not organized in anyway in my gift giving, how could I possibly try to organize yours? Again, you are the gift at the party, anything else you want to do is up to you. If you feel stress because somehow you think more is expected of you I will either smack you or make you sit in the cool area where you can agree with all the teens at the party that the Acknowledgement That Some Derive Pleasure From Holidays and Festivals Celebrated At Or Near This Time Of Year Party is really lame. Friendship isn't a competition and there is no keeping score.

Lastly, if I have offended anyone, I apologize. You can smack me at the party. I cannot stress how much we missed you all while we were in the UK, please stop by and enjoy yourself. Besides, if you have known me more than a week you already know I am a jerk, so why would that change?


Brett
www.gleefulgecko.com


For Directions: {yeah, like I'm really going to post that part to the entire internet}

P.S. My email address book is horridly out of date. I expect a ton of bounces here. Please let people know they are invited if you even vaguely think they should be. I will be trying to get an address book to have everyone put their info in for the party.