Christmas parties

are supposed to be fun - right?
I usually avoid them. Perhaps I should have avoided yesterday's party  but I dutifully made cake and cornbread and brushed my fur and went.
One very good thing about yesterday's event was there was no alcohol involved. Let's face it knitters don't need alcohol. They get "high" on yarn.
Another good thing about yesterday was that someone I have not seen since early in the year made the effort to come. She lives some considerable distance away and avoids travelling on the freeway, especially in winter. It was good to see her.
I gave my elderly friend a hug, told her that "her" cake was on the table and left her to chat to a steady stream of people inquiring about her.
I put my items for the "100gm challenge" on the appropriate table and put my Christmas hat on.
Now I need to explain about the hat. (There is a competition for these too.) I found a faded green straw hat in the charity shop. I don't think it had ever been worn. It had probably been sitting somewhere in the sun under a pile of other hats. The fading occurred right around the edge - as if something else was on top of it but not quite covering it. It cost me 50c. I let it sit there for weeks. How was I going to deal with it? Last week I glued on six of those little pots in which you plant seedlings.  I stuffed green tissue paper into those. I added small jingly bells to each pot - and a label.
The label said, "Christmas bell seedlings. 2c each."
And I wore it. I felt ridiculous but I wore it. It was I suppose no more ridiculous (and a good deal more comfortable) than the hat which won the prize - that had candy-cane corks bobbing right around the edge. I admire the patience that making and wearing that must have taken.
Thankfully we didn't play party games. The hat would have  been a real nuisance then.