it’s inevitable. maybe your family looks forward to the same event every year. you plan it for weeks – you make sure that everyone is home that day. you take it very seriously and wait until just the right moment in the afternoon… until someone exclaims “is it time?”
ah yes – the joys of picking names.
maybe at your home it doesn’t hold such a place of prestige. however, yesterday, november 7th – maybe an unimportant date to you – was the scheduled day for name picking.
lunch had been cleaned up, dishes were done, and a rousing game of dutch blitz had been completed. yes…it was time to pick names.
Quintin had everyone’s names organized in a hat. And this year – they were actually our real names: Kirsten, Tyson, Bert, etc. Why is this important ? last year they were – Big K, Big T, and Fat boy!!
anyway, so it began. Youngest to oldest. We all picked. And every year we try to make sure that we don’t tell anyone who we have and..... once again that lasted all of 5 seconds.
mom asks, “will everyone remember”. And then it begins – "I don’t want this person". "Who do you have?" "Aww bert – I don’t want his name". then we find out that Laura (Tyson’s girlfriend) has Travis’ name (Maddy’s boyfriend) and vise versa. Well that just won’t do.
So in go the names (again) Everyone picks (again)
In go the names (again) Everyone picks (again)
In go the names (again). Everyone picks (again)....
yes your counting is correct! we picked names 4 times
ah yes – the joys of picking names.
maybe at your home it doesn’t hold such a place of prestige. however, yesterday, november 7th – maybe an unimportant date to you – was the scheduled day for name picking.
lunch had been cleaned up, dishes were done, and a rousing game of dutch blitz had been completed. yes…it was time to pick names.
Quintin had everyone’s names organized in a hat. And this year – they were actually our real names: Kirsten, Tyson, Bert, etc. Why is this important ? last year they were – Big K, Big T, and Fat boy!!
anyway, so it began. Youngest to oldest. We all picked. And every year we try to make sure that we don’t tell anyone who we have and..... once again that lasted all of 5 seconds.
mom asks, “will everyone remember”. And then it begins – "I don’t want this person". "Who do you have?" "Aww bert – I don’t want his name". then we find out that Laura (Tyson’s girlfriend) has Travis’ name (Maddy’s boyfriend) and vise versa. Well that just won’t do.
So in go the names (again) Everyone picks (again)
In go the names (again) Everyone picks (again)
In go the names (again). Everyone picks (again)....
yes your counting is correct! we picked names 4 times
This time we all had the names we want – or are at least satisfied with. The non-members of the family don’t have eachother. Austin doesn’t have Brenda (the horror if he did). Quintin has Austin. And everyone is happy… maybe….we hope.
But mother has decided that this is the end of the name game. She meticulously writes down whom everyone has (because ½ will forget) and the event is done for another year.
Now there is just family Christmas shopping…. another annual event that also holds a place of honour. But that is for another time.
so to all of you, who like the Sjaarda's, are revelling in the festivities....
But mother has decided that this is the end of the name game. She meticulously writes down whom everyone has (because ½ will forget) and the event is done for another year.
Now there is just family Christmas shopping…. another annual event that also holds a place of honour. But that is for another time.
so to all of you, who like the Sjaarda's, are revelling in the festivities....
Happy pre-christmas planning!!
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