Christmas came early this year as we all gathered together for a potluck party on the 23rd! This could not have been possible as Kee kindly hosted us at his lovely place, for the second time in 2 years.
It was a scrumptious feast as everyone - all 17 of us - brought their contribution to the potluck - Kee, Cynthia and Lawrence even took the time to make their dishes which everyone loved! It was a lively atmosphere as we crowded around the dining table, eating, catching up, and making new friends.
There was a photobooth setup in the bedroom, where the guests stood against a red backdrop dotted with snowflakes, and holding up props of different Christmas themed designs.
After everyone’s done with the food, it was game time! We split ourselves into 4 different groups, for the game of Reverse Charades. It is a game where a single group member have to guess correctly a word or phrase his/her group members are trying act out. It was definitely fun and challenging as the different groups tried their best - with dramatic performance that was too funny to watch.
The very unfortunate team that came in last for the game had to complete a forfeit, for which they gave an a-cappella rendition of Silent Night. View their spectacular performance here.
We then proceeded to the highlight of the party - Christmas gift exchange, but with a twist. Instead of normal gift exchange, we had a White Elephant gift exchange where the gift has to be something that was brought from home and not bought specifically for the party. The main purpose of this was to promote frugal life and not to be wasteful, as one man's trash can be another man's treasure. There were gifts ranging from books, chocolates, to travel accessories and even a hair dryer!
Sherry, a first time attendee of the party, said “My colleagues were impressed about the specific rule that it cannot be something bought for this white elephant gift exchange. It was indeed refreshing and fun.” As the party ended, everyone excited discussed about having a Lunar New Year Hot Pot soon. Look out for our events at https://www.sfyad.org/events-1.