Okay, it’s not my perfect Christmas, since I won’t spend it with my husband, but it’s the next best thing.Bob’s working Christmas Day because his restaurant is open every day of the year. I spent Easter and Thanksgiving volunteering with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, serving dinner to people without other plans. LBFE provides companionship to elderly in Chicago who would otherwise spend holidays and birthdays alone. But LBFE doesn’t need as many volunteers for their Christmas dinners, so I didn’t know what I was going to do. Bob hates the idea of me being alone on Christmas with nothing to do, although I’m okay with the idea. I’ve done it before, knocking around Chicago by myself, taking myself out to dinner on Christmas Day. It’s very peaceful (have you ever spent Christmas alone with nothing to do?).
Then LBFE called to ask if I could help out after all! At their northside Christmas dinner (there are several dinner locations that day) they said they needed people to help our elderly guests get from the car to their seat at the dinner table and back again at the end. I happily said yes, relieved won’t be alone on Christmas, after all.And then the LBFE staff member mentioned that they need a master of ceremonies for that location. That means standing in front of a big room full of strangers, welcoming everyone to the occasion, introducing the entertainment, running the Christmas raffle and then thanking everyone for coming. Can you guess what I said?
I’m going to be a Christmas MC! It’s like a dream come true. I love being the center of attention, being witty and making up what I’m going to say on the spot. And, of course, I love being part of a celebration, especially Christmas. I’ll be like the host of a huge party that I don’t have to cook for. That’s why I said this will be my perfect Christmas. I’m going to totally dress up and look as festive and gorgeous as possible.
Would you do it? Bob would never do it.
Besides that, it’ll be me and our dog Ozzie. We’ll go for a nice Christmas walk to see the decorated building and homes. I’ll probably sing carols to him as we go, but he doesn’t get any special treats on that day. This dog has a very delicate stomach and I do not want to spend any part of my holiday at the emergency animal clinic. It’s dog food and more dog food for him.
Mick – Bob starts work at noon on Christmas Day. We'll probably have a quick gift-unwrapping before we each go to our respective jobs for the day.
Cat – Oh, I'll be telling my Toastmasters fellows all about this.
Cool! This sounds like it will dovetail nicely with everything you've been doing for Toastmasters. Do you get some kind of extracredit or TM merit badge or something? Bragging rights, even?
I could do it, talking in front of people isn't a problem to me. Whether I would volunteer to do it a christmas is a different matter.
well done to you for your efforts.
What hours does Bob work ?
surely you'll get some time together.