This is a sing along Blog, go for it.
Oh the weather outside was frightful... but the company was so delightful. The Panton Arms was transformed into a veritable Winter Wonderland to host a fantastic turnout of Southerners including more than one surviving member of the earlier "Elfs" vs Santas battle. Yes that's right, Elfs not elves; Colin prefers Elfs to the more grammatically correct Elves. With a few other rearranged fixtures taking place there were many other weather weary and battle worn veterans bedecked in the most Christmassy of jumpers. From the incredible range on show, special mentions for Simon Jelley's Happy Christmas set of wearable lights and Lou Cantwell's fantastically detailed jumper. As with most South Socials, it was never going to be a Silent Night.
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree! Oh dear me what a selection box of Yuletide branches there were on offer. The task: create a decorated Christmas tree from only some crepe paper and a willing volunteer. Let snow-body say that Southerners aren't creative or inventive, or at the very least enthusiastic. The pressure was immense and the crepe paper both fragile and flammable. The atmospheric candles dotted around the room were an extra challenge to overcome, but happily there were no serious burns. Some creations even looked like Christmas trees by the end. Although, let's face it some were rather creepy and others swathed in so many adornments that they were immobile (queue petitions to the judges for disqualification). There were difficulties in establishing what a star looks like but in the end, who doesn't love a game of stick the bauble on the model, eh? Modelled by Izzy, Team 10's elegant effort marshalled by Ellie nabbed the bounty (included as part of the Celebrations). Sweets for all, or coal for some?
Which brings us to the matter of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice this year? Well this elf on the shelf was making a list and checking it twice. In a heroic effort to save Hazel's hair from certain destruction, Kath's Kat-like reflexes ensured her place on the Nice list. Initially dominated by a confirmation of the Nice qualities of the L2s squad, Shin was the sole entry on the Naughty list for some time due to "interesting" Google search suggestions (NSFW link not supplied). However, as if by Elvish magic (or Gúl for LOTR fans) suspicious additions to the Naughty list began to appear...
There was no possible way of tracing the author(s) as s/he seems to have cleverly masked their handwriting with a childish scrawl, which could alternatively have been written by a right-handed person's left hand; genius. Not even a Sherlock Christmas special would crack this riddle. Graham's name made an appearance on the Nice side, but for reasons unknown this entry was eventually crossed out. Conflicting entries for Jack on both lists confused many who struggled to recall instances of Niceness this year. From the comments he seems simultaneously to be the worst and best manager the L2s have ever had (point of information; he currently leads the L2s lemon votes this year). Joining him on the Naughty side were Chris Pearson for "standard reasons", Colin (unsure why, I don't remember any aerials in the pub?), Eimear (reasons too many to mention), Dani, and despite his absence, or perhaps as a consequence of his absence, Paresh. But as Shin pointed out, coal is actually quite a useful gift during winter in Cambridge. Bah Humbug.
No stockings were hung by the chimney with care but I predict that Pay and Play is going to be even more vibrant than usual next week with an onslaught of cow, sheep, rubber duck, and space invaders themed footwear emerging from the bags of Secret Santa surprises. To the relief of many, no smelly socks were detected in the lucky dip and all seemed to be new pairs although quite why a pair of discarded purple definitely not new CSHC socks appeared on a table a little later remains unclear. Perhaps the neon pink ones were preferred to South's own purple; perhaps we should change the kit again!
All I Want For Christmas is... a shot of Sambucca. Said no one ever. Finishing up in the Regal, a few Die Hard revellers Jingle Bell Rock-ed out, dancin' and prancin' the night away, cementing their Naughty or Nice statuses. But what happens in the Regal is hard to recall accurately the next day, so you’ll have to be there yourself next time to witness it all.
Huge thanks to Meg and Ali for all their hard work in organising a fantastic night, and to the Panton for having us.
Merry Christmas, Everyone.
