MB Rotary Annual Holiday Meeting and Celebration by Bruce Greenspon We gathered at Westdrift under twinkling light, ✨ Where Rotarians prepared for a dazzling morning sight. Harmonicas, guitars, and voices galore, 🎶 Festive tunes drifted from ceiling to floor. Paul Allman led carols that sparkled so bright, Setting hearts aglow with holiday delight. ❄️ Bryon “Jingle“ Bos and Dave “Deck the Hall” Harris hustled like elves to ready the room. 🏃♂️🧝 Geese honked in chorus, swans swayed on the floor, we gave a small wink—could they honk a bit more? 🤭 And oh, those cookies on each merry table, 🍪 Each more enticing than any North Pole fable, Bringing sweet joy to keep hearts steady and stable. ❤️ Pledge, Compassion, and a Thought for the Day Up to the podium came Lincoln Stone, guiding us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Then he shared a thought about compassion being at our core (the perfect “wrap” for our holiday spirit, am I right?). 💝 In a heartfelt moment, he dedicated his words to his late mother, who passed away on October 26, 2024. Though he hadn’t shared this publicly at the time—staying true to her modest and selfless spirit—he kindly let this author in on the sentiment afterward. President John and the Slides of Holiday Mischief 🤪🖼️ President John Acker regaled us with slides of Rotarians in the wild—“Rotarians Gone Holly-Jolly,” if you will. Among the stars of his show were Walt Kasha and his wife Priscila, plus Jan Rhees, Rita Crabtree-Kampe, and other merry makers decked in holiday flair. 🎁✨ We spotted dreidels dancing 🕎, elves prancing 🧝♀️🧝, and maybe even a partridge in a pear tree (although rumor has it the partridge was double-booked). 😆🍐 Paul Allman’s 28th Year of Merriment In his 28th year of leading the holiday sing-along, Paul Allman had the place jingling with solos by the incomparable Bryon Bos (who dazzled us with his unplugged vibe) and Joel Ruben (whose performance shone brighter than a menorah’s light). ✨🎶 Then, off we went to the off, off, off Broadway segment—our “Rotary Latch Key Actors’ Studio” production: The Holiday Crisis Prevention Hotline (don’t worry, no crisis here, just comedic gold!). ☎️🤩 A Cast of Festive Characters Sheena Khanna as Diwali Sheena (illuminating the stage with more LED lights than the Rockefeller Center tree!) ✨🎆 Nelson Gray as Nelson New Year (ready to ring in the good times) 🥳🕰️ Larry Johnson as Kwanza Larry (bringing unity and fresh puns galore) 😎🤝 Dave Gendron as Christmas Dave (a 3-foot tree hat folks—talk about branching out) 🎄🤭 The author, Bruce Greenspon, as Hanukkah Bruce (donning a plunger as a dreidel top—“to plunge or not to plunge,” that was the question 🤣🕎) All orchestrated by Jordan Holbert, the official Rotary ringmaster for this holiday hotline extravaganza 🤹♀️✨ They took calls on an old-school rotary phone (naturally) ☎️, peppering their chat with holiday quips and wisecracks. Though we may not be expecting any Tony Awards soon, the show was a “wrap” in comedic success—think “It’s a Wonderful Laugh.” 🎉✨ Swans, Swimming, and the Twelve Days 🦢🌊 Next up: the Twelve Days of Christmas sing-along, with each breakfast table tackling its own line (and sometimes tackling each other’s lines—oops!). The laughter was as abundant as Santa’s workshop in December. 🎅🤶🎄 Soon after, President John resumed control (bless his heart for wrangling so many holiday-crazed Rotarians 🤪). He invited the Westdrift staff up front to present them with generous cash donations from members who appreciate their “service above self,” right down to the last sip of coffee each Monday morning. ☕️❤️ Grand Finale & Prize Shenanigans Finally, it was time for the raffle. Wade Austin scored the imaginary (but oh-so-sophisticated) bottle of wine 🍷. Meanwhile, Larry Johnson took a shot at snagging the $232 pot 💰 in our weekly drawing—only to find that Lady Luck had other plans (hey, at least he’s Kwanza Larry now, so the holiday spirit is all his!). 🎉 And with that, the MB Rotary Annual Holiday Meeting and Celebration wrapped up merrily. We left with hearts (and bellies) full ❤️🍽, holiday tunes humming in our heads 🎶, and a renewed sense that, for Rotarians, “Cheer” is more than just a word—it’s a way of life. Until we meet again, let kindness lead the way, With sleighfuls of merriment each passing day. 🛷✨ Our holiday spirit won’t dim or tire, Rotary’s passion sets our hearts on fire! 🎄🕎✨ Celebrating the Holidays Rotary Style by EditorThe hosts with the mostest, Debby Arnold and Walt Zipperman, welcomed 100+ Rotarians and their guests to their home with a view and so much more. Whether listening to music pool-side from Lisa Richie, watching the sunset from the deck, checking out the wine and cocktail selections at each of the two bars, or sampling hors d'oevres from caterer Jack McLaughin, Rotarians were clearly having fun. Thanks to organizers Debby Arnold and Jordan Holbert, this annual party was a great occasion for MB Rotarians to introduce their spouses and partners to their Rotarian friends. For more party photos, go to SmugMug.   The Tradition Continues by EditorEvery year, the sign-up sheet to volunteer at the Manhattan Beach older adult program holiday luncheon fills very quickly, and this year was no exception. Debbie Goldberg assembled a group of eager volunteers to plate and serve a three-course meal to the 175 residents signed up for this festive occasion. Catered by Lisa Hemmat-Lupercio's Lido di Manhattan, the menu included Caesar salad, turkey with all the trimmings and dessert. Spotted in the crowd were John Hugunin and his girlfriend Carol Patterson, John and Rose Osten, Sandi Doell, and newly-elected City Council member Nina Tarnay, wife of new member Mike Tarnay. Bruce Greenspon was drafted (or did he volunteer?) to don a Rudolph head and pose for photos with each guest. For more luncheon photos, go to SmugMug.  Holiday Rotary Momentby Sue Vogl
For several years, MB Rotary has partnered with the Hawthorne/LAX/Lennox Rotary club to assemble and deliver food to needy families. This is no modest can drive. Each of the 35 families (chosen by the Lennox School District) receives four stuffed bags of nutritious groceries plus a turkey, and bags of apples and potatoes. As Rotarians and family stuffed bags of groceries, packed them up and set off to deliver them, the magic started. It takes a bit of detective work to find these families, many of whom live in tiny dwellings tucked behind houses. (One of the families on Jeff Serota's and my delivery list lived in a garage.) The happiness of the moms and dads, plus their kids, receiving the food deliveries makes this my favorite holiday Rotary moment. | 
