'Twas a Twofer

For 2015 there were not one but two work holiday parties. You may recall that last year a departing employee had a Christmas party at her house, to which only a fraction of her co-workers attended.  The circumstances surrounding that were more than a bit awkward.

So in January of this year we had a post-holiday lunch which doubled as a going away party for someone who had served thirty-five years behind the audiometer.   She was presented with a really fancy camera for her upcoming trip to New Zealand.  The party was held at a private club that has some of the best food in the area.  It's a quite exclusive spot - one of our doctors is a member.  They even kept the decorations up and the Andy Williams playing well into January just for him!  The gathering was great...except that many of us still had patients to see that afternoon and had to rush back to the office.  No mimosas that day.

Last week we had a more timely celebration.  At the same club.  Can't argue with a good thing.  But.....let's just say this has been a dynamic year at my practice.  Many folks, some longtimers, left in 2015. They were conspicuous in their absence.  While many of the key core people are the same, the overall vibe, while pleasant, did not have the joyful spark of years past.  You can scroll back and read entries from say, 2009, 2010...I've been told that the really lively Christmas parties happened long before my time.  I've seen a few pictures.

Even the usual white elephant gift exchange was uneventful this year (I did score a crock pot).  Conversations were generally reserved.  Some grudges held over from ancient hard feelings were still held among a few, though no incidents.  Every one was generally civil.  The parties have grown more solemn each year.  This time, there might've been an especially good reason, but we'll just leave it at that.  We raised our wine glasses anyway. 

Yes, I know.  Dull entry.  Even the above picture is a cheat - it was not taken at the party. Silly ol' me forgot to snap a pic in all the lack of frivolity.  This post was mainly for documentation purposes.  Something to look back on, to note over time a trend.  What can I say? The food was still great.  That bread pudding, ahhhhh....

In any event, I wish you a Merry Christmas, dear reader.  May your celebration be filled with love.  Maybe next year I'll have something more colorful to report.