LOS ANGELES END OF THE YEAR PARTY

On December 18, 2011, close to 30 people came to celebrate Christmas with the Los Angeles Chapter despite everyone's busy holiday schedules. The house was filled with the aroma of apple cider and cinnamon and Christmas carols played in the background as our friends chatted and indulged in the multitude of cookies and finger foods.

The meeting began with a lovely Christmas song by Rebecca Calix who was accompanied by her brother William Calix. We were also gifted with a rendition by Jerlinda Tabarejo. The emcee for the evening was Era Thompson. Southern California Chairwoman, Emma Reed, read the WFWP USA Mission Statement and a section of a speech given by the Founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, entitled "Living for the Sake of Others".

The focus of this event was to give and share. Instead of having the usual gift exchange, there was information about a number of charities displayed on a table and a short explanation about each. The idea was to chose one charity and make a donation of any size in the envelopes provided. Also, a raffle was organized for a large music box to raise money for a designated charity. The participants were extremely generous and we raised almost $500 altogether.

Era Thompson led a game of sharing – each person expressed a spiritual gift that she received during the year such as an enlightenment or experience. Many ladies had deep moments to share which was a special gift to all of the participants.

Thanks to the generosity of the organizers, there was a door prize for everyone attending. The meeting ended with a traditional "Let There Be Peace On Earth" song and a group photo.

Thank you to all the participants as well as those who expressed a desire to participate, but had other obligations. The table was overfilled with food items brought to share. Thank you for your donations of time to set up and clean up, refreshments, door prizes and donations to our charities.

And YES, Mrs. Claus was present at our gathering.