A recap of the Bluebird Christmas Party:

by Joanie Cradick

The Bar in Unadilla seems to wrap its arms around us when we show up for our annual Christmas party and gift exchange. It’s cozy. It has great food. And the The Bar’s staff, well, they jump right into the spirit of things. Many thanks to Ardie and Gordie Hopp for making the arrangements for us.

Not only was the meal great but the pie – some kind of cinnamony pumpkin chiffon – was heavenly. The waitress came around and asked if we wanted seconds on dessert. Linda Titterington piped up, “I’d rather have seconds on the meal.” It wasn’t long before the waitress returned with another full meal for Linda. (See how great the people are at The Bar?) Amid laughter, Linda pluckily tried to eat some of her second dinner.

We also asked for the pie recipe so we could put it in the bluebird cookbook BAN is compiling. Only then did we discover the staff didn’t make the pies but ordered them in from some big outfit.

The gift exchange is always a hoot. Some folks have no compunction about stealing. But the items are not relinquished without a lot of whining and bantering. The best response upon opening a gift goes to Janet Simmons. She sent all of us into gales of laughter when she opened a beautiful plate featuring orioles and exclaimed something to the effect, “The bluebirds are beautiful. Or, maybe it was, “I always wanted a bluebird plate.” Whatever she said, there was no mistaking the fact that she thought the plate featured bluebirds.

Then again, Ardie Hopp pointed out she was sitting next to Julie Milota and it’s possible that (a) she said that to spark a response from Julie, (b) she was fed that line by Julie or (c) she just wanted to stir things up.

NOTES FOR NEXT YEAR: