Advent Journey Day 9

Tonight I hosted our annual Book Club White Elephant gift swap.

I love dressing up the house when guests come over.

 It's always a great way to end the year.  I write a song about the books we've read, we eat good food, and enjoy our gift exchange.

Barbro pondering what she would trade for the bag full of odd spirits!

There's always something interesting that turns up from our basements, garages and closets!

The green handle for a 2 liter bottle was not the most popular gift!

While Judy was less than thrilled with the green handle, Sandra was quite happy with the Olive Oil/Balsamic Vinegar package she received!

I ended up with a box of goodies from which you can play an interesting game.  I plan to use it on Christmas Eve at our gathering with good friends.  It was actually a very cool gift and one of the best parts of it was the beautiful bow that adorned the package.  Sorry, no pic.
Silly gifts are the mere wrapping of what this night means for me.
It's a gathering of good friends who have journeyed through life together over the past year through the magic and meaning of books.  Book discussions allow a window into our souls because different aspects of each book resonates with each person in a unique way.   Sometimes people hate the book.  Other times people love the book.  Every once in awhile we all actually like the book!  But we always learn something new, enjoy being together and come away more enriched for having read the book and entering into the discussion with one another.
Gifts are a part of the Christmas season, whether they be silly white elephants or serious, well thought out gifts.  It is fun to both give and receive gifts.  But the real gift of giving lies in the relationship that we share with the one doing the giving or the getting.  God knows this.  That's why he created us to enjoy relationship with both him and others.  Tonight I'm thankful for the relationships I enjoy with my book buddies.