"EMERGENCY" Thanksmass 1959!

My goodness Readers, I NEVER thought I'd be bested by a Texas winter...

"Twas the days before Thanksmass,

and all was prepared.

The decorations were up, 

no expense had been spared!

But Then came the Ice, 

and the wind and the rain,

And Thanksmass 1959 would never be the same..."

Yes Readers, there ALMOST wasn't a Thanksmass! The massive hill at the lake had frozen over and was impassable, there for icing the Casablanca and all its vintage Christmas finery in the valley below...
 But after weather reports, a whirlwind afternoon trying to find a new venue for the party, and the generosity of my boss at the Wichita Theatre the day was saved!

With the help of Patricia, Missouri Michael, Terrace, and class three nuclear meltdown very little panic on my part, the event went on!  Just by luck I happened to have my second six foot aluminum Christmas tree at home, along with the color wheel!  So with that as the starting staple of "Emergency Thanksmass" we were off!

(All of my tablecloths and Grandmothers dishes were frozen in at the lake!)

Again, just by luck I had the glasses and cutlery with me so all we had to buy was three turquoise table cloths and some nice red plates our "emergency table" looked really great!
Once everyone arrived, we sat down to grace and had dinner, only slightly later than originally planned.

 

 (Master of Ceremonies, Seigen W.)

After dinner, our wonderful "MC" of the evening Seigen, kick things off with the help of Miss Casablanca 1959 Terrace Althouse. Keeping with Casablanca tradition, Miss Casablanca sang "Have yourself a merry little Christmas"!

(Terrace & Melissa "Sisters")

Next up, and one of my favorite parts of Thanksmass was Melissa and Terrace's newly altered rendition of "The Thanksmass Song"!


THEN we were visited by a celebrity, yes our VERY FIRST Casablanca Celeb! The Wichtia Theatre was hosting a production of "The Nutcracker" and as it turned out So You Think You Can Dance star Hampton Williams had discovered our vintage gathering!

 

He and Darlesha joined us for Thanksmass dinner and then delighted us with an impromptu dance!

(Hampton is known for his unique dancing style, and is nicknamed the Exorcist!)

Isn't that just amazing?! After the dance, we broke for intermission and readied our self's for a game of White Elephant.

Round and Round gifts went, snatching and stealing! It was a lot of fun!

Once everything wrapped had been stripped clean, we resumed the evenings entertainments!
Seigen serenaded us with happy thoughts of a Merry Christmas...


Kelcie captivated us all with her "New Age, New York" telling of  "Twas the night before Christmas"!


At long last Emily entranced us all with her performance "O Holy Night"!


Simply Stunning! Encore!


So much talent and warm feelings too!

 

 

 

 

 

 (Little Miss Emma, our newest and youngest 

"Official Member"of the Casablanca!)

Then came the moment we'd all been waiting for, it was time to usher in the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 1960! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 1960!

It was a wonderful evening, with wonderful friends and company! Although Thanksmass wasn't quite the same not being at the Casablanca, the Holiday is about friendship, being thankful for our time with one another, and of course keeping vintage goodness alive!  I was so glad our friends could gather from near and far away (Melissa drove in from New Mexico, and Michael braved the winter storm and drove down from Missouri.

Our wonderful friends surprised us with all kinds of gifts, it was totally unexpected and great!

(Friend Jennifer gifted us a JFK memorial record (foreshadowing), a cloth calendar from our new year 1960! Along with a gilded plate! Thanks Jenn!

Patricia gave me seasons four and five of Mad Men, along with "The Name Game" 45 by Shirley Ellis! (I've been hooked on the song since hearing it on "American Horror Story"!!! Thanks Dear!

Dear Friend Melissa gave me the wonderfully retro Christmas cards, I just LOVE them!

Friend Cheryl had this wonderful letter holder monogrammed "Casablanca" for us! Perfect for holding the vintage Christmas cards!

Missouri Michael brought us this fantastic console HiFi for the new living room. Just look at those
 tapered legs!

Michael also surprised me with a gift he had been trying to find for two years! I collect all kind of "O-mat" kitchen tools, and the last one I needed was the "Jar-O-Mat" a wall mount jar opener. I've never seen one in the wild, but Michael hunted one down and presented it to me for Thanksmass!

What an awesome, thoughtful gift! I can't wait to get it mounted and try it out! Thank you so much Michael!!

Not quite a present, but  definitely worth presenting, Mrs. (Mama) Duncan had her hair done up just for the occasion! A style right out of 1959!It looked so great!

The Nobles presented us with Vintage Christmas lights and a new lantern for the temporary bathroom!

Friend Jordan surprised me with autographed pictures from Dame Maggie Smith! (This has been a long running joke between us, and Jordan sent away the pictures and inscriptions and got Dame Smith to sign them!!!) The mere fact that WORLD RENOWNED FILM ACTRESS MAGGIE SMITH has written the words "To The Casablanca" makes me absolutely giddy! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU JORDAN! I plan to hang these up in the den!


I think it is safe to say that everyone had a wonderful time!
I hope that we have better weather for our upcoming Christmas party "Thanksmass Part II" on the 22nd!

Wishing all of you a Merry Thanksmass and a happy 1960!

-Mick-