Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Gift Exchange Shove


We survived another Burridge-Miller Gift Shove.

For those of you not in the know, here's how it works.
  1. A year ahead of time, someone offers to host a family party.
  2. On the day of the party, everyone gets into their cars and starts driving.
  3. Relatives arrive at the party site, and we all have a very pleasant time. Activities may or may not include
    • Singing Carols
    • Eating
    • Watching Football
    • Assorted Party Games
  4. At some point someone -- usually the person who drove the farthest -- will look at their watch and utter the magic words: "We have to get going."
  5. Mayhem. People rush around, sometimes from car to car, with boxes of gift-wrapped loot and shove them into the hands (or trunks) of recipients.
  6. Someone yells, "Wait! You can't go yet!"
  7. Rapid fire hugs and kisses preceed the emptying of the host and hostess's driveway (and adjacent street).
  8. Invariably, a gift is left behind or misdirected


This year was a lot of fun, and Arthur got to meet his first cousins twice-removed, Andrew and Zachary. And their toy trains.

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