Bob and Sharyn Halpin opened their home tonight for this festive staple celebration. This is an adult-only event because we don’t want our kids to see us having so much fun and spoil our image.

The fare for the evening was appetizers and finger foods because we’ve learned (the hard way) that too much laughter on a full stomach can be painful. As we exchanged gifts ranging from silly to absurd, we reminisced about previous white elephants and the joy that last year’s presents brought into our homes.

Hanover adults (young through senior) donned our best duds and downed heavy hors d’oeuvres while Spotswood Baptist’s 12-member ensemble “Believe in Miracles” performed a program of contemporary Christmas music tonight. Even though this was a relatively low-key event, Cheryl and her minions decorated the fellowship in her beautiful and festive way.

This evening we watched the movie "Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure" during our Evening Bible Study time. It was a great way to remember the significance of Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 18 – Monday, November 25, Hanover opened its doors for other local churches and individuals to drop off their shoe boxes. Over 250 additional shoe boxes passed through our doors on their way to children around the world.

This afternoon, following the morning service, most of the church stayed to enjoy a quick lunch and packed 300 shoe boxes in a joyful labor of love.