Christmas Vox a la francais. Who’d have guessed? But we’re a pretty ingenious crowd. Grammarian, Jean-Marie, encouraged us all to use French phrases when speaking. And, inventive ah-counter Maria, suggested we use “Ho, ho, ho” instead of crutch words. Both ideas worked really well.
The atmosphere was great from the get-go. Harbour Place was decked out in tinselly, twinkling style. Garlands adorned the white walls, a beautiful big tree glittered in the corner and nibbles and drinks were freely available.
Dan impressed us with his excellent matrise du Francais; Cora was dubious about the Law of Attraction; Dave decried the 12 Pubs of Christmas as “the boring antics of zombies” and Jerry had a VERY interesting story on how to face fear (And, no, I can’t repeat it. C’est entre nous).
The speeches, too, contained revelations. Mark has a penchant for accosting celebrities in the street.“Never Meet Your Heroes” is not a philosophy he subscribes to. Ralph Fiennes, Bono, Michael D Higgins and Colin Farrell are but a few of the famous that Mark has approached whilst they were quietly minding their own business. Entertaining, original and superbly delivered, Mark’s speech was a treat.
“What’s in a Name?”. Cora revealed that Santa Claus is a “judgemental, merchandising… spy”. His sweatshop operation is possibly “the worst case of human rights’ abuse” since Willie Wonka’s been paying his workers in cocoa beans. The Grinch, on the other hand, may simply be the victim of a devastating publicity campaign. There could be more behind a name than we realise.
Rosie’s Stage 8 speech was an excellent example of the confident use of visual aids. It was smooth, seamless and informative, ideally suited to her subject “Trinity: The Power of Three”, which was about how different parts of our minds work together. Tres interessant.
Colette was graceful and professional as Toastmaster; Maria outstanding as Evaluator; Jacinta precise and positive as General Evaluator.
It was great fun as always. Pity you weren’t there if you weren’t. Joyeux Noel a tous, and see you all in the New Year!
Fiona O’Meara, Guest Blogger