12th Annual Holiday Mixer - With Book Exchange, Fun & Games

Wow, twelve years behind us. We grow, we shrink, and grow again. All while continuing reading and gathering year after year. I send a huge thank you to all the members that attend the meetings which have kept the club going year after year. Without you, there would be no club. I also remember the original members, who I send my love to after all these years. Your friendship, good times, and loss are always with me. It takes a village, and we have created one, connected by the love of reading. I wish everyone and their families a very happy holiday.

Okay Steve, enough of the blah blah blah, get to the party invite! Done. You and your significant other are invited to the best meeting of the year. Please mark your calendars and save the date for Monday December 8th.

The Fat Rabbit is once again welcoming the club back to the normal location for this event which is great. They have many food options, and of course great drinks from a full bar. Sutter Street will be adorned in wonderful holiday lights, horse drawn carriages and ice skaters. So feel free to dress up, dress down, just come dressed. :-)

The club favorite (optional) white elephant book exchange will again take place in 2025. To participate bring a wrapped book if you would like to join the exchange. A new or new looking book is preferred for this exchange. The book you bring can be anything you chose, from funny to serious. And there will be two steals, so pay attention as the books are opened. The best book to bring is a story you will be recommending for 2025. They will be given priority on the future reading list. This exchange is the highlight of the night.

In addition, at the meeting we will gather book suggestions for the books we will read in 2026. To prevent the entire club from reading a possible dud, please, have already read the book, or really trust the author. Plus we will have a raffle to win some fun prizes at the event as well.

The party is also the single meeting where I gently ask for donations that offset the club's Meetup dues. If you were not aware, Meetup.com charges the group organizer (Me) an annual fee to run the clubs site. This cost this year surged from $198 to $299. Not sure why the huge increase. We've tried using Facebook in the past, and it was not great for a few major reasons. So we must pay the piper.

Anyway, this is the only meeting of the year were the club's dues are brought up and I've setup three ways to donate if you would like to help offset the costs:

First is PayPal via this donate link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VF59VVQKA7EZ6

Second, via Venmo to @SteveHoltam

Lastly donations will also be accepted in person at the meeting. If you donate online, please select a non-goods transaction or friend to friend otherwise they take a portion of the donation.

This donation is 100% voluntary, but if you enjoy the club, a donation helps keep it running at no personal expense to me. And like years past, for those that donate at least $20 by any means will get a handmade thank you gift in return.

I look forward to seeing everyone. Please feel welcome to come out and join the fun even if you are new to the club, shy, sort of shy, been to dozens of meetings, been absent for awhile or never even been to an actual meeting. Even a brief visit is better than no visit. I would love to meet you and say hi.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Steve H.