Holiday Party Planning!
Okay, crew! It's that time of year again! No, not time to overhaul the warp core and decontaminate the science labs. No, it's time for the annual Holiday Party!
Last year's party was epic, with 24 attendees (seriously, how the hell did we fit everyone into the Captain's Quarters?), a gift exchange, fantastic food, and a good time had by all. Think we can outdo that? I think we can.
This year, Alex and Kathlyn have graciously offered to host the party at their place, due to the sheer potential size of the party. Their double-large dining/living room area will possibly fit everyone better. So please be aware of that strong possibility that the party will NOT be at my house. However, it will still be in the same general area of the Kansas City metro area. (Contact burnmybody for directions when the time comes.)
I'd definitely like to do a gift exchange again. It went brilliantly well last year, so I'd say it's a go for this year. Here's how it works:
It's what we New England folks call a "Yankee Swap." It's much easier to organize than a Secret Santa. Basically, everyone either buys OR makes a gift that most folks in the group would enjoy. In this case, a Star Trek themed gift would probably be a safe bet. Don't buy clothing (like a t-shirt) because we're all different sizes. Don't spend more than $10 or so! This shouldn't be expensive! Wrap the gift, but DO NOT put your name or anyone else's name on the outside. Totally anonymous. When you arrive at the party, there should be a table available for the Swap Gifts. Just leave it there as you walk in the door. Then, everyone who brought a gift gets to pull a number from the hat... and we go from there. I'll explain the rules better in person, but it's a lot of fun, and you don't have to worry about WHO your gift is going to. GAG GIFTS are perfectly acceptable!!!
Last year, we had a small pre-party ice skating party at Crown Center. Just a few of us went out to the ice earlier in the day, when it wasn't too crowded, and skated for an hour or so. It was a lot of fun, and I'd like to have more folks this year. It wouldn't be the whole party... just a little pre-party silliness to get into the holiday spirit.
(Also, maybe not for the holiday party, but possible for another party before the ice skating season is over... we have a contact at the Crown Center ice arena who has informed us that we could rent the entire arena during non-public hours for $150. That sounds like a lot, but if we get fifteen people, that's only $10 each. I'd like to put that out there, and see if we can drum up enough interest to make it financially doable. I think it would be awesome to have the ice just to ourselves for an hour. Discuss below, and I'll post a poll eventually to see who's interested in having a proper skating party.)
But first thing's first. We need to set the date. We need to get an idea of what activities you guys would like to do! We need to find out who's coming. So...
Step 1. Vote in the poll. As always, make sure you select all dates you could make it so we get the day for the maximum possible attendance. However, please do try to pick dates that you WILL come. In other words, if you pick New Year's Eve, and if we select December 31st for the date of the party, please don't decide to go to another New Year's party instead. Sound good?
Step 2. It's a holiday party, so I'd rather not hit a restaurant. It seems like the sort of party made for a pot-luck. Please, in a comment below, tell us what you're planning/hoping to bring to the food table. Hearty foods and snack foods are both needed, as are beverages. Just let us know what you're thinking of bringing so that we can try to fill all the basic needs for party food.
Step 3. Attend the party!
Poll Holiday Party Planning!
Hailing frequencies open!
Last year's party was epic, with 24 attendees (seriously, how the hell did we fit everyone into the Captain's Quarters?), a gift exchange, fantastic food, and a good time had by all. Think we can outdo that? I think we can.
This year, Alex and Kathlyn have graciously offered to host the party at their place, due to the sheer potential size of the party. Their double-large dining/living room area will possibly fit everyone better. So please be aware of that strong possibility that the party will NOT be at my house. However, it will still be in the same general area of the Kansas City metro area. (Contact burnmybody for directions when the time comes.)
I'd definitely like to do a gift exchange again. It went brilliantly well last year, so I'd say it's a go for this year. Here's how it works:
It's what we New England folks call a "Yankee Swap." It's much easier to organize than a Secret Santa. Basically, everyone either buys OR makes a gift that most folks in the group would enjoy. In this case, a Star Trek themed gift would probably be a safe bet. Don't buy clothing (like a t-shirt) because we're all different sizes. Don't spend more than $10 or so! This shouldn't be expensive! Wrap the gift, but DO NOT put your name or anyone else's name on the outside. Totally anonymous. When you arrive at the party, there should be a table available for the Swap Gifts. Just leave it there as you walk in the door. Then, everyone who brought a gift gets to pull a number from the hat... and we go from there. I'll explain the rules better in person, but it's a lot of fun, and you don't have to worry about WHO your gift is going to. GAG GIFTS are perfectly acceptable!!!
Last year, we had a small pre-party ice skating party at Crown Center. Just a few of us went out to the ice earlier in the day, when it wasn't too crowded, and skated for an hour or so. It was a lot of fun, and I'd like to have more folks this year. It wouldn't be the whole party... just a little pre-party silliness to get into the holiday spirit.
(Also, maybe not for the holiday party, but possible for another party before the ice skating season is over... we have a contact at the Crown Center ice arena who has informed us that we could rent the entire arena during non-public hours for $150. That sounds like a lot, but if we get fifteen people, that's only $10 each. I'd like to put that out there, and see if we can drum up enough interest to make it financially doable. I think it would be awesome to have the ice just to ourselves for an hour. Discuss below, and I'll post a poll eventually to see who's interested in having a proper skating party.)
But first thing's first. We need to set the date. We need to get an idea of what activities you guys would like to do! We need to find out who's coming. So...
Step 1. Vote in the poll. As always, make sure you select all dates you could make it so we get the day for the maximum possible attendance. However, please do try to pick dates that you WILL come. In other words, if you pick New Year's Eve, and if we select December 31st for the date of the party, please don't decide to go to another New Year's party instead. Sound good?
Step 2. It's a holiday party, so I'd rather not hit a restaurant. It seems like the sort of party made for a pot-luck. Please, in a comment below, tell us what you're planning/hoping to bring to the food table. Hearty foods and snack foods are both needed, as are beverages. Just let us know what you're thinking of bringing so that we can try to fill all the basic needs for party food.
Step 3. Attend the party!
Poll Holiday Party Planning!
Hailing frequencies open!