The gathering is called a “Mugging”. I used the idea with a group of ladies who were part of an organization that I had become a part of, and was hoping to get to know the ladies a lttle better. I sent out invitations for a Saturday in February when a good cup of soup would hit the spot. I sent out invitations giving the basic information needed and also a 3 x 5 index card. Their instructions were to purchase a new soup mug (hence the name of the party).They were to wash it, to be ready to use, then put in a brown paper bag so no one else would see which mug you brought. On the 3 x 5 card they were to write three statements. Two of the statements were to be true, and the third a lie, and no signature. At the party I gathered up the bags with the mugs and put them in the kitchen. The index cards I gathered to use in a game that we would play after lunch.

When everyone gathered in the dining room, I then brought in the various mugs and placed them on the buffet table. They were not to tell each other which one they had brought. As each went through the buffet line she chose the mug that appealed to her and used it for her soup. As we sat and enjoyed our soup and each others company, they were instructed to look around the room and see who had picked up the mug they had brought. They were now a “secret pal” to this person. They were asked to drop them a note once in a while, a birthday card, and anything else they felt led to do to tickle this new “secret pal”.
At the end of the party I passed out a complete contact sheet that included everyone’s month and day of birth. ( No years please, we must keep some mystery.)

After the party we played a special game I had created. I made a game board with a number of squares on the outside,( like a Monopoly set-up) with different topics that would help us to learn about each other. A sample of Topics included; vacation, books, “if money were no object, I would…”, “I’ve always wanted to… and so on. They were just to comment on the topic of the box, no skills needed just getting to know each other. They might land on one of the boxes with the 3 x 5 cards which had been put on the board. The person who landed on this box pulled the top card, read the three statements out loud and then had to guess who wrote it, and which statement was a lie. We had some real suprrises and a lot of laughs. There was a lot more involed in the game, but you get the idea.

Well, that’s my contribution to your third anniversary. Keep up the good work and all of the creative ideas.
Diane