Forty-three members, including a few guests, attended an excellent Christmas Lunch at the Thyme by Ruccola restaurant which is part of the Alto Golf resort in Alvor. This is a lovely location for a Christmas party with plenty of space to socialise during the arrival process, which we made good use of prior to the pulling of Christmas Crackers and the donning of traditional paper hats!

The meal was, naturally, excellent and much enjoyed; the traditional Roast Turkey followed by Christmas Pudding was the most popular choice but the 'supporting cast' of Roast Beef, Sea Bass etc were also very much appreciated. Claudia and her staff provided superb service throughout the lunch, so much so that we included them in the distribution of Christmas presents during the coffee service! The only thing missing from our day was Father Christmas himself, hopefully, next year he will be available to join us in the celebrations. We also assembled a few donated items for the annual Castelo de Sonhos 'Shoe Box For The Elderly Appeal'.

Our next event will be our traditional 'After Hangover Dinner' which will be held at Big Red's Steakhouse in Alvor. Full details of all our planned events are on our website www.casasocial.club.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.