Consider the Lilies.....

Ruby had sweated for two weeks trying to get enough people for the Bunco Game on Friday night. She started off knowing she needed to replace two players. Later three more people backed out. A couple of others said they could come, but could not stay for the entire evening. She had beat the bushes and looked under throw rugs ever since and had yet to get the required 12 for a Bunco quorum.

"I think we should cancel it!" Ruby complained to Daisy. "Everybody is busy, and I am tired." The search for players had dulled Ruby's usual positive attitude.

"Oh!..Nooo!" exclaimed Daisy. "I have already purchased an ornament for the ornament exchange." "I will bring some stuffed animals to use as ghosts... whoever shows up is fine. If we play bunco...we do... if we don't...we don't"

Ruby reluctantly agreed, but secretly she thought that Daisy had OD'd on Christmas Spirit.

On arrival at the restaurant Ruby was shrouded in a cloud of crabbiness. "I will be glad when this is over" she thought to herself. The cloud slowly began to lift as Ruby entered. She made her annoucnement of lack of players, and those present responded like Daisy had, "We will make do, it will be fine."

They began with ordering dinner. A young waiter had been assigned to them for the evening. He took Daisy's order first. He then asked her name (because of separate checks).
"Would you like my phone number too?" Flirted Daisy.
"What would he do with it?" Petunia Lovechild commented, "Give it to his grandfather?!"
With that the ice was broken and fun began to flow freely.

The ornament exchange was fun as usual, but there were no angels for Ruby to fight for. She ended up with a lovely one though, Golden, with the word "PEACE" embroidered on it. Ruby decided it would go nicely with her angels. The most original ornament of the night was a spun glass ornament in the shape of a pickle.

As the room was being set up for Bunco, Daisy, on a whim, said to the waiter.."Would you like to play Bunco with us?"
The waiter stopped and thought. "You know, he said, you are my only group tonight. Let met get your checks, and then I think I will be able to. Everyone rejoiced. Bunco was played using two stuffed-animal ghosts and the waiter as stand-ins.

As the evening progressed wait staff would occasionally stop by just to see what was going on. Sometimes people were seen peeking at them through the window in the kitchen door. Later another waiter joined the game replacing one of the stuffed animals. "These are awfully nice fellows" thought Ruby. "I should have invited Baby Rube!"

Instead of chosing a standard charity for their monthly Bunko money, the group unanimousely decided that their chairty this month was their waiter, who was really a poor starving student. He received it with humble thankfulness.

By the end of the evening, Ruby, too, had OD'd on the Christmas Spirit.