Mince Pie Night
On Thursday 8th December we enjoyed our annual Mince Pie Night, part of our run up to Christmas. Held in Shandon Park Golf Club, it was a freezing night outside with treacherous roads but, in spite of that, we had a superb turnout using all the available space. We were delighted to welcome a number of guests, notably Paul Robinson from the UAC and landowner Trevor Davidson whose property was used on the Night Trial and son in law Chris Gilmore. Our thanks to them.
Right from the off, the buzz from chatter in the room was electric and continued throughout the evening, with a slide show reminding us of antics in the club over the years. Tea/coffee with a mince pie and shortbread were very welcome.
We had several major awards to hand out, notably Will Corry (in absentia) for the Derek Walker, James & son Harry Wilson for winning the “ Night Trial” and Simon Johnston as custodian of his J2, winning the Leslie Ardill award for the most prolific MG of the year. Congratulations to them.
We then marked a club donation of £250 to Young Lives v Cancer, the charity being represented by Chris Gilmore whose baby was treated in England and received assistance from the charity for accommodation.
Other awards went to Noel Cochrane & Richard McCracken jointly for their exhaustive work on both the Derek Walker and the Ulster Classic Trials. Awards also went to Carol Willis and Gordon Buckley for commitment to the Ulster Centre.
There then followed a 20 question Christmas Quiz to get us into festive mood. Questions such as how long it takes for a Xmas tree to grow and how many gifts were there in the 12 days of Christmas caused great debate. (I have put the questions & answers below for anyone who wants them.)
The chat contained vigorously to the very end, amply reflecting that we are indeed the marque of friendship.
Happy Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year to all our MG friends.
20 Christmas Questions 2022
1. Which country first started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?
2. Which popular Christmas beverage is also called ‘milk punch’?
3. How many ghosts show up in A Christmas Carol?
4.What Hollywood actor played six different roles in The Polar Express?
5.What colour are mistletoe berries?
6. Which fairytale was the first gingerbread house inspired by?
7. Where did the tradition of Christmas stockings come from?
8. What are the traditional 12 days of Christmas?
9. How do you say Merry Christmas in Spanish?
10. What was the coldest ever temperature recorded during a UK winter?
11. What are the chances of a white Christmas in the UK?
12. Including Rudolph, how many reindeer pull the sleigh- 7, 8 or 9?
13. Where does the royal family traditionally celebrate Christmas?
14. How many years do Christmas trees grow for before they are sold?
15. In Home Alone, where are the family going on holiday?
16. What King was crowned on Christmas Day?
17. Traditionally, how long before Christmas should you start making Christmas cake?
18. How many gifts are there in the 12 days of Christmas song?
19. What is the best-selling Christmas song?
20.In which country does a witch rather than Santa drop gifts down the chimney- Finland, Poland or Italy?
• Christmas quiz answers •
1. Germany
2. Eggnog
3. Four
4. Tom Hanks
5. White
6. Hansel and Gretel
7. According to tradition, the original Saint Nicholas put gold coins in the stockings of three poor sisters
8. The Twelve Days of Christmas are the last six days of the old year and the first six days of the New Year.
9. Feliz Navidad
10. The coldest temperature ever recorded during a UK winter was -27.2 °C (Braemar, Scotland 1982)
11. The chances of a White Christmas are just 1 in 10 for England and Wales
- 9 reindeer (Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzen).
13. Sandringham
- 15 years
15. France
16. King William I of England in 1066
17. Two to three months before
18. 354 gifts
19. Bing Crosby’s White Christmas is the best-selling Christmas song with more than more than 50 million copies.
- A witch – in Italy