Thornapple Dam

 We had our GNO (Girls Night Out) Christmas party last night.   I was hosting at my house so I got to open my gift first.  The theme was a holiday in the month you were born.   Friend Nancy (born in December) laid out eight separately wrapped gifts in front of me.  You would have thought I would have picked up on that or that all were wrapped in blue wrapping paper but it wasn't until I opened the first and found gold wrapped chocolate coins that it hit me - Hannukah!  The rest of the gifts had to do with lights and brightness (tealights, flashlight, prism, hanging crystals, lighter) plus a anxiety ball in the form of a sufganiyah.  

I then went to the freezer and gave Friend Kathy a loaf of cranberry walnut bread.  Nope, not enough of a clue of what holiday it represented  (I'm born in August - the one month w/ no holidays).  She opened the box I'd given her and inside were a pair of black socks printed w/ mushrooms, frogs, and other creepy things.  Still no idea on the holiday.  Inside the box was also a Department 57 figurine of a witch flying past the full moon that matched a Halloween house Kathy had bought years ago.  Still no idea.  I'd included a write up of the holiday in the box so she did finally find out it was Lammas Day which the Roman Catholics call 'loaf mass' (hence the loaf of bread) and is the Wiccan Holiday of First Harvest.   (Big thank you to Niece Olivia for suggesting the holiday).   The themes of the statue and socks were Wiccan.  (We are pretty lenient w/ our interpretation of the theme.)  

Nancy opened up a package from Kathy (who is born n March).   There were a bunch of numbers written on the front of the package but Nancy didn't recognize them.  Inside was a ceramic red pie pan.  Looked back at the numbers on the packaging - it was Pi without the beginning "3.".  The holiday she chose was Pi Day!  Included in the package was a matching pie vent in the form of a cute bird.    We are still working on our theme for next year.  Will let you know when it's settled.