Christmas 2003

It was a glorious winter day for the 2003 Montgomery Family Christmas Party. With the afternoon sun glimmering on the snow and geese gathering together on the frozen pond, the weather was perfect for a Christmas celebration at the Brighton Town Park Lodge. Many thanks go out to Amy and Tina, who helped MC the activities while Don recuperated from a cold! Here are some pictures from the 2003 event.

Next year's party will be organized by Michelle and David Kehoe! Our thanks to them for picking up the reigns and offering to plan the next Montgomery Family Christmas Event! As we transition the focus of our gathering to the next generation of Montgomerys, we may also do a holiday sit-down dinner gathering at a local restaurant (in the tradition of Christmases past) for those who are finding it difficult to attend a longer party and bring gifts and food. For the younger folks who prefer the more active festivities like games, crafts, karaoke singing, and gift exchanges, David and Michelle promise to deliver a classy affair next year, no doubt adding even more new traditions to enjoy.

Don't forget to RSVP for this year's annual Montgomery Christmas gathering at the Brighton Town Park Lodge. This year's event will take place on Saturday, December 20th at 2:00pm.

If you haven't received an invitation in the mail, please don't think you're not invited. We only sent invitations to those who were at the gathering last year. If you want to join us this year, just call Don or Judy before December 12th or email the webmaster@vallonesworld.com to let us know how many will be attending. You'll need to bring a dessert and a snack to pass and each person should bring a "Misfit Gift" (see last year's page for details). This year, we are asking for a donation of ten dollars per person to help cover the expense of renting the lodge, and purchasing food, drinks, paper products, prizes, and decorations.

There is less than 48 hours left until this year's Montgomery Family Christmas Gathering! Don't forget to bring your wrapped misfit gift to exchange at the fireplace. Everyone should bring a misfit gift who wants to participate in the gift exchange (kids are welcome too!). Please also remember to bring a snack (salad, nuts, chips, dip, veggies, cheese, sausage, crackers, etc.) - Be creative and try to think of something that nobody else will think of. Remember there is a stove and refrigerator in the lodge but you should bring your own storage, serving, and preparation items (baking tray and cooking/serving utensils, etc.) All paper goods will be provided. Everyone must also bring a dessert item to pass around (pie, cake, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc.). Pizza will be provided (Mark's Pizzaria) - 4 varieties! Soda, coffee, tea, and cocoa will be provided. Because of the mess, hassle, and expense, we are not planning to have a Christmas tree in the lodge this year, however any holiday decoration you want to bring and set up are welcome. We are expecting to have a Karaoke machine and also play "Guess Who I Am". If you have any ideas for games or activities, bring them along. We will also probably have a craft project table again this year for kids of all ages! Don't forget to come back to THIS page to see pictures from the party in the coming days.

*Name*	*Status*	*Total Adults*	*Total Children*
Don & Amy Vallone	Confirmed and PAID	2	0
Judy & Roger Covington	Confirmed and PAID	2	0
Thelma, Harold & Debbie Chapin	Confirmed and PAID	3	0
Dick & Debbie Gallagher	Confirmed and PAID	2	0
Don & Dolores Vallone	Confirmed and PAID	2	0
Dorothy & Bernie Burchard	Confirmed and PAID	2	0
Lisa, Don, & Casey Stubblebine	Confirmed and PAID	2	1
Steve, Steph, Andy, & Russ Vallone	Will Not Be Attending	0	0
David Kehoe family	Confirmed and PAID	4	5
Kenny Kehoe	Tentative (not paid)	1	0
Jack Montgomery	Tentative (not paid)	1	0





TOTAL	27	21	6

We still need to find someone who is willing to coordinate activities for the party. We need a "Santa" to help organize the Misfit Gift exchange (this person would do "crowd control" and MC the gift exchange activity). If you would like to help plan activities (games, stories, crafts, hikes, contests, entertainment, etc.), please bring along your ideas and materials. This year Don and Judy need to take a bit of a break (they deserve it, eh?). So, let's all help out by volunteering to organize something fun for the party.

This year's theme will be a more relaxed, old-fashioned gathering with more home cooked treats, singing, etc. Do you have a favorite Christmas story you would like to read or narrate by the fireplace? We'll have warm cocoa, popped corn at the fireplace, and memories of Christmases past to share with all. Can you think of an old fashioned holiday activity?

Watch this page for weekly and daily updates on this event as Christmas gets closer!