It's Christmas party season!!!!

It's Christmas party season, and I had two in one day! 

Last Friday we closed down the office at midday and went to Cool River, a swanky pool hall in Irving. Now, I know what you're thinking - how can a pool hall be swanky? Well, just add waiters with horderves, the best steak I have ever tasted, toilets that spritz you as you enter, and bingo! One swanky pool hall! It doesn't hurt if you have a few mounted deer heads on the walls too, even if said deer heads are wearing Santa hats. 

So, we played swanky pool and we ate (swankily) and sipped swanky margaritas. Merry Christmas!

The weirdest thing about Cool River is the fact that people are allowed to smoke INSIDE. When my colleague lit up in front of me, I nearly had a heart attack (I'm a fan of obeying rules, to the point that I considered grabbing the cigarette and stuffing it in my swanky margarita). I know there has only been a smoking ban in England since 2007, and I can still remember what it was like to come home from an evening out smelling like a cigarette butt, but I found it very strange. I have since learnt that not all localities in Texas have a smoking ban in bars and restaurants. 

On to party number two...

It started with me buying cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. And when I say cheese, I don't just mean your average Colby Jack and Monterrey that are so popular over here - oh no! I mean Red Leicester with red peppers, mouth-puckering Welsh cheddar, French brie, Boursin, and white Stilton with apricots. 

For me, Christmas is all about cheese in England (and mince pies and Christmas pud and mulled wine and stuffing and chestnuts, but I could go on and on). 

The second party of the day was at Church with our fellow nearly and newly wedded friends. We all had to bring a plate of food, and I signed up oh so willingly for cheese and crackers. They went down a storm! Needless to say, I didn't eat anything at the second party. With a belly full of steak and asparagus, and a slab of chocolate cake to go in my car, I was done. 

We played White Elephant again (see 'Do we do this in England???' posted on 16th December 2013 for details of this game) and Jeopardy. Everyone really went to town on the gifts for White Elephant this year! They were tasteful as opposed to unusual/just plain wrong. We came away with a stein tankard, although I had been eyeing up a particularly nice cheese board set for a steal. Last year it was Poopouri (see 'Do we do this in England???') and a VHS entitled 'Tough Questions about Sex' circa 1970. 

Another festive event that occurred last week was our trip to see the Twelve Days of Christmas at Dallas Arboretum. Do you remember the pumpkin patch they displayed there? Well, this time it was a set of twelve band stands decorated to match the song. 

The ones containing birds were beautiful: 

However, I stopped taking pictures when it got to the people (lords leaping, maids milking .etc.) and not because they were any less spectacular, but because I am not a fan of creepy manikins. Especially ones on conveyor belts. 

But, bravo Dallas Arboretum! You did a wonderful job! 



FYI: Did you know that cats shed hair when they're nervous? We took Piper to the vet for her rabies jab last night and she was puffing hair all over the place! I thought we'd be leaving with a Sphynx cat! 

Here is a shot of her trying to be sent to England when I was trying to pack gifts in a box:

For some reason, she feels like she has to assert her dominance by claiming every box that enters the apartment. Look at that face. It clearly says, "Step away from the box. I claim it in the name of Aslan."