A blazing succes!!! From the moment you entered the foyer, you were embraced with the atmosphere of friendship,
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The welcoming smell of food from the kitchen draws you in, just like home. Upon entering the great hall you see your friends greeting each other with heartfelt wishes of the season. As you gaze about the room you're impressed with the long tables dressed with beautiful Charles Dickens figures and sprays of pine and varigated dogwood to accent the white linens and tableware.
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A christmas tree simply adorned with an enormous elegant burgandy bow with streamers nearly reaching the gifts collecting below it's branches. Your eyes sweep the room and catch the gleaming silver urns of coffee and tea glinting in the sunlight streaming from the windows dressed with pine boughs and golden bows. The spicy sweet scent of warm wassail rises above the pine and faint wood smoke.
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Yes! the fireplace is blazing and crackling that special sound pulls you close. And as you make your final turn the sound of a harp gently fills the room, as the harpist's fingers bring soft reminisent music to tickle your memory. You find yourself greeted and hugged by new and old friends alike, happy to have you join the celebration.
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The meal is served and surprise you find more of your friends have adorned themselves as well with white mob caps and aprons, such as you'd expect a maid in an english mansion to wear, straight out of a Dicken's novel! The meal is served, lucious hot chicken salad with almonds and a crunchy melted cheese topping, asapargus spears with red pepper butter and a sweetly tart chilled cranberry salad, you try not smack your lips!
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The conversation and music ebbs and flows and soon your empty plate is replaced with a delectablebly generous slice of chocolate yule log cake and your cup is replenished with tea, coffee or wassail.
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A lively young miss then takes her place before the fire to read to the audience from Dicken's own 'A Christmas Carol'. My friends, for me, it was a reminder that no matter what the past has been, it's what we do with our lives now that creates a future of good will and peace among mankind. No matter our background, our education, our pocketbook, it's our mutual desire to make our community, our world a better place by empowering women, each other.
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Of course it's time to go now as coats and gloves are retrieved, final hugs and best wishes, with promises to get together soon are exchanged. Off we go, at least I did, with a smile and the realization that I've just shared a most unique experience with more than 50 women, who I believe took with them the warmth, music, and friendship that filled that hall today, I know they will recall this time with fondness and look forward to making it a tradition. I know it as surely as I know I've made new friends today, and God Bless Them, Every One!
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This is my way of expressing what the day meant to me, the people who have worked so hard on the transformation of the club house and planned, prepared and served the meal are my heroes. As well as those individuals who have donated money, and services. Applause, Applause, Applause!
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Carolyn Sprague,
President, GFWC Woman's History Club
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