I couldn't get the girdle over my hips so I tried on my new top sans spandex and discovered the spare tire I had thought resided in the back of my car. A box of my winter clothes is missing. It's undoubtedly in the basement nestled against boxes of yarn and will probably be discovered in June. A nice black wrap-around top that does fit me is in that box. Fortunately I found a black, tunic length, light weight pullover that wasn't too shabby in my dresser drawer. So, there I was decked out in black top, black pants, black knee highs and black shoes, feeling like I was attending a funeral. Due to my time challenged hubby we were late arriving at the festivities. The hotel employees were beginning to set up the buffet and they were decked out in black tops and black pants so now I feel like one of the serving staff. I kept expecting someone to ask me to fetch them a drink. Happy hour's mingling and making small talk, thankfully, was soon over with and we all found seats at the tables. The rest of the evening was quite enjoyable. The food and drink were plentiful and delicious. I was fortunate to be seated next to a lady who's company I enjoy AND she's a cat person. The gift exchange was lots of fun. DH ended up with a box of excellent quality chocolates and although I was unsuccessful at holding on to a bottle of Bailey's I still ended up with a bottle of Amarula, a South African liqueur. Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho and all that.