Okay, so people just did NOT want to leave the brewery where I volunteer tonight. It was so funny. We cut off the taps at 8pm and a half hour later, even without beer, people were still standing around, chatting, not wanting to leave. As a volunteer, this is both frustrating when you want to go home and really tickling to see how well the place is doing!
But because of this, I was also able to walk around and actually talk a little bit to some of the patrons after my shift; more so than I can when I'm working anyway. And a fun holiday decoration debate came up.
One woman pulled me aside and said: "Okay! Question: those icicle Christmas lights, right? The ones that dangle and look like icicles instead of just normal tree lights? Are they meant to go on the inside or outside?"
Now, I figured I was settling a bet among friends. But I answered in the only correct way: outside, of course! They're *icicles!* Icicles don't grow INSIDE!
"Thank you!!" she replied and promptly smacked her girlfriend and said, "See? It's OUTSIDE. So, no, you cannot put those on our tree." I suggested a happy compromise (around the ceiling molding or breakfast bar perhaps?) and she agreed that'd be OK. But her girlfriend just looked at me with a solid stare and asked, "okay. But where is this written, huh?" And they both and their gentleman friend looked at me, on the spot I was!
I replied, lowering my voice and leaning in, "it's not actually *written*. But there's a secret society of We Who Know who make sure it's passed down verbally like in the old days, you see." They laughed. "Oh? A secret society?!" said girlfriend, challenging me. "I suppose that's headed by *Santa*?!" The first woman laughed and said, "yes, of course!" and they all looked at me again. I told them: "I can neither confirm nor deny that," flipped my hair, turned sharply away and walked off dramatically... to the sound of all of them laughing.
I'm not sure why, but I was just so tickled by the whole thing. Maybe it was because it was so silly and fun. And more than a little bit because I was so clearly "the help" and they still pulled me into their circle for such merriment. But probably definitely because it just reminds me how lucky I am to have a place I get to go to have fun, meet new people, have exchanges like this and am reminded that a stranger just might always be a friend you just haven't met yet.
People are awesome.
Oh, and I'm so right about the icicle lights thing too.
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