2nd Annual Dance Dance Revolution X-mass Fiesta

Saturday marked the 2nd annual -- DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION X-MASS FIESTA -- at the luxiourious Governor in Iqaluit. The first annual was just myself, Inflatable Elvis, my partner and her son, on New Year's Eve, playing DDR and having a good time before we went out to check the fireworks.

DDR is a great game for a party. You have to step on a pad on the floor, in time with the music. The more you get into the dancing, the easier it is to keep rhythm.

This year was a little more extensive. Seven kids, 10 grown-ups, and a lot of food. B made her first ever turkey, everyone had fun, and we had Port Town Ghosts and Baffin Blog join Elvis at our little apartment.

Baffin Blog works at an elementary school, so it must have been like work for him, albeit with slightly more booze.

Highlights include:

-- All four bloggers (myself included) completing our turn at Dance Dance Revolution. Baffin Blog nailed "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, and Elvis killed "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"by Cyndi Lauper... when he said that his I-Tunes shuffle was thinking for itself, he may have been on to something.

-- Our first family holiday turkey, and she nailed it. Perfect turkey.

-- My step-son walking into the middle of the party, sticking his hands in the front of his pants like Al Bundy and loudly exclaiming "OK, who wants to play Yahtzee." He made Elvis laugh so hard that the boy thought he was laughing AT him, not with. I saved the upcoming rage by suggesting that Elvis would play Connect Four with him, and a best-of-seven insued.

-- Three grown white men trying in vain to calm a crying 20 month old, whose Mom was downstairs having a cigarette. We failed.

-- Getting Inflatable Elvis with a joke I had been waiting weeks to make. He brought us a pepper grinder for a Christmas gift a few weeks ago, a lovely gift which we really needed. He also put a card in it, which he left blank by mistake. We love the blank card, it makes us smile, and is displayed front and centre in our place. I waited weeks until I had a room full of people to tell him that he had left it blank. Timing is everything.

-- My two-month old son enjoying being passed from aunt to aunt like a joint at a Dead show. He slept so well that night.

-- One child liking my cookies so much that he asked to take some home with him. I gave him a dozen.

-- My television X-mass tree, featuring Simpsons and Star Wars ornaments. We had Sponge Bob as a star, causing my step-son to accurately point out, "You should have bought Patrick... he's a starfish." When they are right...

-- By sister-in-common-law staying over with her three kids for a sleepover. The next morning, I was awoken by the smoke detector going off. I awake, dazed, and ready to be aggravated. I couldn't, she got up earlier than us, fed the combined children, did our dishes, and she was making turkey stock from the leftovers, which set off the alarm. Anyone who does our dishes while we sleep can burn the damn place down in my opinion.

-- Having a real Christmas party, kids and all. Kids are a part of X-mass, and the Fiesta wouldn't have been the same without them.

See you all next year.