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Saturday, December 10, 6-10 pm
Rick and Marla Archer cordially invite the Hey Lollies Rookie Class
of 2022-2023 to attend a festive Christmas Party at their house..
RSVP to Marla by email,
marla@ssqq.com
Party starts
at 6 pm, Potluck Dinner at 6:30.
For entertainment, after
Dinner we will have a SERIOUS Christmas Carol Puzzle
competition. Please note the losing team will be required to
sing 'Frosty the Snowman' while the winners gloat.
If people are up for
more fun, guests can chose between a Christmas Charades competition
or a Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle competition (or both).
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The December Gate Code
number for those who arrive after 7 p.m. for the party
is
#9782
Don't forget the #sign in front of the numbers.
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PURPOSE OF THE CHRISTMAS
PARTY
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Rick Archer's
Note:
What is the goal
of the Hey Lollies "Rookie Class" Christmas Party?
Answer: Friendship.
Square Dancing
is good, clean-cut fun that gives the members a common bond
to build upon. From what I have noticed, there is
something special about Square Dancers. They have one
thing in common... they persist. Since Square Dancing
is fairly complicated, our training program is nine months
long. What kind of people have the patience to stick
with something for nine months? In addition to
expecting mothers, people who are accustomed to being
successful at whatever they put their mind to.
Persistence is what causes people to do their homework in
high school when others are misbehaving. Persistence
is what gets people into college. Persistence is what
gets people ahead in their careers. Persistence is the
foundation for strong marriages. The people you meet
through Square Dancing are professionals, solid, quality
individuals, the kind of people we would all like to have as
friends. Hopefully this Christmas Party will serve as
a pleasant building block during our indoctrination into the
Square Dance community.
Covid ravaged
the Square Dance community. The Hey Lollies were not
spared because dancing was considered a threat to our lives.
Once upon a time, the Hey Lollies had 10 squares per night.
Now they have 5. This explains why the organization is
in a rebuilding stage. I have been told the leaders
are encouraged by our Rookie group. They say we are
the best class they have had in ages. For this reason,
our class coordinators Steve and Jana, Tom and Anne, Gary
and Claudia all plan to join us. Our illustrious teacher
Tim, recently named Square Dance Caller of the Year, has
also promised to attend. Nor does it stop there.
Many of the Hey Lollies leadership plans to attend.
They want to meet you, get to know you, and do their best to
win your hearts. They wish to encourage us to join
their close-knit circle of friends and plan to stick around
for a very long time.
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REGARDING THE POTLUCK DINNER
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Marla plans to serve Lasagna and her cosmic Greek Salad.
To avoid the problem of
10 desserts and no main dishes, Marla would like to coordinate what
the various guests wish to bring.
Perhaps when you RSVP, you
can include what you intend to contribute to the meal. If you are unsure what
other guests have already committed to, just ask Marla for a
suggestion.
Marla@ssqq.com
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The prevailing Attitude
should be to Relax and have Fun. Ugly sweaters and formal
attire are totally unnecessary. In fact, guests wearing ties
will be asked to remove them. You are welcome to come in your
pajamas.
Anyone caught bringing
gifts will be asked to put them back in your car. Yes, we want
you to bring food to share and, yes, by all means bring your
favorite beverage. And definitely bring a smile. That
should be your main contribution to the night.
Will there be caroling?
Unlikely. Since neither Rick nor Marla can sing a
lick, any wide-scale caroling will need to be started by someone
else.
As for polite conversation, that should take
care of itself. This party will be a great way to get
to know one another. That is what really counts.
One warning: You will be
quizzed periodically. For starters, what is a "Lollie"?
Is it short for Lollypop?
What does "SSQQ" stand
for? People who do not know may be asked to leave (just
kidding).
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REGARDING THE CHRISTMAS
SPIRITS
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Marla plans to make a giant bowl of her
amazing punch. Definitely a party starter. In addition we will
provide water, soft drinks, a case of Miller Lite, 3 bottles of
Menage a Trois red, 3 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and a
partridge in a pear tree.
Beyond that, you guys are on your own. Since Marla and Rick are not big
drinkers of the hard stuff, everyone is more than welcome to Bring Your
Own Booze, aka BYOB.
In addition to the
Rookies, there will be Veteran Square Dancers known as the 'Fajita
Flats Gang' in attendance. Rumor has it the
Hey Lollies veterans don't hold back when it comes to drinking.
Marla and Rick have met these people and admit we are worried.
If things get wild, who knows what might happen. We can always
serenade the neighborhood.
Rick's Note: What
we we have gotten ourselves into? Marla and I thought 9 pm
would be late, but then someone suggested 10 pm would be more
appropriate. Fine. However, when a certain leader of our
square dance group pointed out 10 pm was a little early and that the
party would still be going strong at midnight, uh, that's when we
realized we were dealing with unpredictable creatures of the night.
Word of warning:
Regarding the mistletoe, be sure to watch out for cell phones aimed
in your direction.
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The
theme of the evening will be Christmas Games and Puzzles.
First up will be
a famous Christmas Puzzle. Just take our word for it,
this puzzle is a lot of a fun (and pretty easy too).
Winners will have a chance to rub it in, Losers will be
expected to sing a Christmas Carol as penance.
After the main
event, depending on the interest and sobriety level, we can either play
Christmas Charades or have a Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle
competition. Regarding the
Charades, no acting is required. We will divide into two teams and Rick will act
out the titles to well-known Christmas books, celebrities and movies. All you
have to do is guess.
If people
prefer Jigsaw Puzzles, Rick will let everyone divide
into two teams and race to see which team can put together
matching 300-piece Christmas jigsaw puzzles.
For those of you
who hate games, there is always a place for warm
conversation and Christmas Cheer.
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DIRECTIONS and GATE
CODE
Note: There is a gate that
closes at 7 pm. We will print the December code HERE
when it is posted. Another way to deal with the gate
would be to arrive before 7.
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RICK AND MARLA ARCHER,
Your Hosts
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Rick was born in
Pennsylvania, but has been a Texan since age 5. Marla was born
in southern California and moved to Houston when she was 35.
Rick is the former owner
of SSQQ Dance Studio, the largest dance studio in America at the
turn of the Millennium.
Shortly after Rick sold
his studio in 2010, by coincidence he was asked to teach dance
classes at Chapelwood. He has taught there since 2010.
Rick met Marla
Cinderella-style at a midnight dance on a 2001 cruise trip.
Their instant connection was so powerful, they have never been apart
since. Rick and Marla consider that trip to be their true
anniversary.
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Realizing the Love Boat
potential of Rick's studio, Marla became a very successful Travel
Advisor. Before her retirement, she organized 50 group cruises
for 3,000 SSQQ dance students. Considering how they met, Rick
and Marla have spent the past 20 years exploring the world.
They currently have cruises planned for the Amazon River in March
and Argentina in December 2023.
As for Square Dancing,
Marla is much better than Rick. Despite his reputation as an
excellent dance teacher, Rick has found his square dance lessons to
be quite humbling. In the second week of class, one of the
students commented, "I would have thought a famous dance instructor
like you would have picked this stuff up faster." Ouch.
In the sixth week of class, another student took one look at Rick's
C&W Halloween costume and commented, "Hmm, not terribly creative."
Ouch again. Tough crowd! Nevertheless, despite his
difficulties, Rick fully expects to become a good square dancer
someday. Why? Because he believes in the Power of
Persistence.
One more thing.
Rick and Marla have been pleasantly surprised to discover the spirit
of SSQQ lives on with the Hey Lollies. So far Rick has
identified at least a dozen former students, many of whom now hold
leadership positions with the Lollies. It is through the
friendship of these former SSQQ students that Marla and Rick decided
to give Square Dancing a try. Only one problem. Once
upon a time Rick picked on these people unmercifully for their
mediocre learning curves. Today the shoe is on the other foot.
Do not be surprised to see several of them at our Christmas party.
They will be easy to identify... they will be the ones giving a Rick
a hard time as payback.
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