What makes a great holiday party?  Number one is a group of  fun, interesting people.  And a classy venue helps.  And let’s not forget a great band.   And yes,   delicious munchies and fine wines.

Wachovia partiers pause for a group photo.

Party organizer Bonnie Johnson flanked by Jason Warren and yours truly.

                      All of the above and more were a part of the festive Wachovia  Securities’  holiday bash at the plush City Club in San Francisco.  Organized by Wachovias’ own  Bonnie Johnson, and hosted by the generous duo of Kevin and Ann Kitchin,  almost 200 people partied and danced the night away to the jazz-based sounds of Greg Gotelli and  sultry vocalist Darlene Langston.
                                 And my girl friend Joy?  She was spoiled beyond belief.  She arrived with Wachovia execs in a Hummer limo.   I hope she doesn"t expect treatment like that on a regular basis.

             Julie Shannon has been with KOIT for 18 years, and she knows music, and that includes Christmas music.  When KOIT began playing several weeks of Christmas songs five years ago, Julie was the natural choice to select the music.   Judging by the favorable listener response, Julie is doing a terrific job.  She also selects the music during the rest of the year.  She is also part of the KOIT "more music" morning team.
                   When not at KOIT, Julie can often be found behind the wheel of her spiffy Mini-Cooper S.

                     The hotel banquet room was packed.  Everyone had their dancing shoes on.  The dee-jay was primed and ready.  And yes, yours truly and Joy were there.  It was the Filipino-Americans of Northern California (Marin County chapter) annual Christmas celebration.
                   After dinner, people were ready to party.  For the next three-plus hours, the  floor was filled with dancers. " YMCA," " Celebration," " Twist & Shout," and most of the big disco hits were played by DJ-singer Al dela Cruz.   And one of the highlights of the fun-filled evening was the dancing of the hula-girls.  Yes, hula girls.

And wow; they were good. I lived in Hawaii for five years, and I think I know a good hula when I see one, and these pretty Filipinas really knew their stuff.  They  received a well-deserved "standing-o."   I was asked to be a "volunteer" dancer, but I declined.  I forgot my hula skirt.
                 About halfway thru the evening, the atmosphere became even more festive.  We received word that Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao had defeated Oscar De La Hoya.
            

                      I  had no idea what to expect when I went to see "Boy in the Striped Pajamas."  I overheard a friend say it was a terrific film.  So I took the short drive to San Rafael to see it.
                 It has to be one of the best films of the year, and a candidate for Best Picture.  I don’t want to spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, that the movie takes place in Nazi Germany in 1940.   The boy in the "pajamas isn’t really wearing pajamas.  He’s an eight year old impriisoned in one of Adolph Hitler’s concentration camps.
               He is befriended on the other side of the barbed wire by another eight year old,  a German boy whose father happens to be the commandant of the camp.
                      Trust me on this one.  After the end of the film, noone moved for at least five minutes.  My co-worker and buddy Jack Kulp also saw the film.  He also gave it a "ten."
             After you see it, give me a call, or send me an e-mail (lickes@koit) and tell me what you think.

Monday morning  trivia on KOIT:

Q: December is the biggest month for……

Answer me this. What happens to a string of Christmas lights over the course of being in a box for eleven months, that makes them not work when you take them out of storage? The very same lights that  worked when I took them off the tree last January. Saturday I took them out of the storage box, plugged them in to test before I put them on the tree, and nada! Nothing. Shook them. Nothing. Changed the fuses in them. Nothing. None of the lights lit. And half of the lights on the other string didn’t work either. Whatever happened to those lights between January 10th and November 29th of this year will remain a mystery. But that’s why I had to back to Target.