My defacto step-son had a party this past Friday and I stopped by for a bit to see what was going on. I showed up around 7:00 PM and not everyone was there yet but a few had arrived. I think I counted about five guys (including the step-son) and one girl. They were all playing video games on separate computers/laptops against each other. When I pointed out that this was the same thing they did every night but for the fact of all being in the same room they laughed and said it was better because they WERE all in the same room. Oh well, I guess they were having fun. Brings me back to the days that me and my buds had parties this time year. Specifically the annual Christmas Eve party at my buddy Chris' place.
I think the annual Christmas Eve parties started when we were around 17. While we had video games back then they weren't as sophisticated as today's are. We played on a Nintendo and the main game had something to do with Mario and Luigi saving the Princess. I think we also played some golf. In the late 90s we graduated to Saga NHL which was pretty cool. However, while we did play some games it did not encompass our whole evening.
The evening always involved the drinking of large quantities of beer (I think later on as my alcoholism grew I began to drink wine, showing up with three or four bottles just for myself). We would all sit around Chris' basement and chat while listening to some heavy metal music of the 80s. Chris and his brother Jeff had their rooms in the basement of the family home. It was like a basement apartment but without a kitchen or bathroom which we had to go upstairs to use. Chris and Jeff had decorated the room in a collage of heavy metal posters featuring the likes of Motley Crue, Led Zeppelin, Poison, Alice Cooper, Lee Aaron, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Ratt, Ozzy, and a slew of others. Back then people smoked inside and one could cut the smoke with a knife it was so thick.
There were always a few girls at the party. One or two of us usually had a girlfriend. As the night progressed more people would drop in and out as well as a bunch of Chris and Jeff's relatives. It was a great time. Chris always made his "famous" sweet & sour meatballs (I think that was the flavour) which everyone delved into a few hours into the party. The more we drank the louder we got and the sillier we became. I'm not sure how it started but for a few years in a row we held the hairiest ass contest. I always came out the winner but Jeff was always a close second. My friend Stefan and I would invariably get into some kind of political debate to the chagrin of everyone else. It would usually end in me calling him a Klingon and him arguing that he was more like a Vulcan. I know, I know we were kinda of nerdish but cute nerds. I still think Stefan is more Klingon than Vulcan...
The climax of the evening would be our annual holiday viewing of Al Pacino in Scarface. I mean, what says holiday cheer more than watching a dude get his leg chainsawed off? Or Pacino telling everyone to, "say hello to my little friend"?
Eventually everyone would slowly leave and after much urging I would stumble home to bed to return the next day for more Christmas 'spirits' and a delicious meal, which included roast duck and goose, made by Chris and Jeff's Mom. A great time was had by all.
Dave the Dude
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