November 29, 2022
Bugh’s Christmas Party Intern Bridget
One of my favorite Christmas traditions from my childhood was the Bugh’s (pronounced Bee) Christmas Party. Every year, usually the first Friday of December, the Gary and Patty Jo would host a Christmas party. Many of the attendees were members of our church. It was a potluck or pitch-in, so there was always lots of good food. (This was before my family found out about our food allergies) Dad would make Bagna Calda, which is an Italian dip made with garlic, cream, and anchovies. The party would start with people just have conversations with each other, but after a while we would all gather in the living room and sing Christmas Songs and Carols. Our Children’s Choir director, Gail, and her husband Joe would play guitar and lead the singing. One of my favorites was the Hawaiian Twelve Days of Christmas, complete with hand motions. We would hear the Christmas Story either read from Luke or told from memory. We would end the evening by singing Silent Night, the members of the Children’s Choir singing the first verse in German. My family and I would still travel the three hours from Kalamazoo to Mount Pleasant for the party after we moved. It didn’t seem like the Christmas Season until after the Bugh’s party.
Heavenly Father, as we begin the holiday season, grant safe travels. In your name we pray. Amen.
