Chapter 5: A Christmas Party in West Mifflin
The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald, as well as all of our parents at the First Presbyterian Church in Duquesne for our annual Christmas party. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Merry Christmas!" I wished my friends. "Merry Christmas to you, too!" Alex greeted back. There were all different kinds of food, in which Sarah provided purple potatoes for potato salad, savory cabbage and kale for a veggie salad, braeburn apples and grapefruit for a fruit salad, and fennel bulbs, Alex provided steamed green beans and asparagus, raw broccoli, oyster mushrooms, and blueberries and watermelon for the fruit salad, James provided Swiss cheese, roquefort cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese with crackers for an appetizer, Justin provided Pecorino-Romano cheese, and camembert cheese with crackers for an appetizer, as well as ricotta cheese with breadsticks and marinara sauce for a main course, Henri provided a buttered egg noodle casserole, tortellini, and stuffed shells for main courses, and Max provided ditalini for a pasta salad, fettuccine alfredo for a main course, and Israeli couscous for a rice dish. There was also a choice of Italian or turkey hoagies, potato, tortilla, and pita chips with dip, salsa, and hummus, carrot and celery sticks, strawberries, hash brown casserole, and desserts such as Eat n' Park smiley face cookies, Christmas cupcakes, Christmas cake, and Christmas candy. In addition to our usual music of 98 Degrees and Lizzo, we listened to other Christmas music in the background. "All of this pasta looks really good, Max," Henri stated, licking his lips. "Thanks, Henri," Max replied. "Do you eat pasta salad?" "No, but I certainly like other pasta dishes," Henri replied. "Especially stuffed shells! They taste delicious!" "Do you think that we have bought enough cheese, crackers, and chips for everyone, Justin?" James asked. "Of course, James," Justin replied. "After all, we need something to munch on before the main dishes arrive!" "It is pretty cool that you made your own Caesar salad, Sarah," Alex praised. "Thanks, Alex," Sarah replied. "I remember when we ordered chicken Caesar salads at the Hard Rock Cafe last year, and I believe that I ordered a Caesar salad that year when we were celebrating Angel's birthday at the Grand Concourse, along with that incredible birthday sundae." "I am really looking forward to Kennywood Park after the potluck," Alex stated. "Kennywood Park is just so addicting, especially since we went there one last time over the summer of 2012 before I headed to Edinboro University." "And then, we will be officially done with Kennywood Park until April," I stated. Once we were done eating, we had a gift exchange and played Would You Rather? for an icebreaker game. Then, we headed to Kennywood Park with 3 rides and the Parkside Cafe, and even an entertainment show with Alex, Justin, and Max playing their musical instruments and me filming another music video for my YouTube channel. Then, it was time for all of us to go home. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Good night, guys!" "Good night!"