What do you usually picture when you think of the office holiday party? Personally, I think of the syndicated 2005-2013 TV program "The Office," but I figure that's about 90% because of the show's title.
Typically you take the conference room, move out the tables and chairs, throw up some tinsel, a Christmas tree, and a menorah, bada bing bada boom, holiday party. There's a few drinks, some present exchanging, everyone out by 5:00.
But it seems like the American Fisheries Society is a bit different. Not the conference room, tinsel, tree, etc., but in who they choose to bring to their holiday party. Instead of restricting the guest list to the employees and their families, all members of AFS were welcome to this open house. And as a local student chapter, we jumped at the opportunity to attend.
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| Credit: American Fisheries Society (http://tinyurl.com/jjgly9g) |
We arrived at 3:50, twenty minutes fashionably late to the event. Due to some new construction on the property- an area also occupied by the Society of American Foresters, the Wildlife Society, The American Society for Remote Sensing, and the US Composting Council- we drove though the parking lot equivalent to a hedge maze before locating the exact place, a sleek building with modern features. On the first floor, we hung up our jackets and found our pristinely- displayed name tags. We signed the annual holiday card
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| The eyes are nightmare-fuel. But the snowman-innards are so cute! |
With plenty of food, drinks, and dessert, we had a blast socializing with AFS headquarters employees, from the I.T. department to book and magazine editors. We also marveled at the office decorations- exactly the thing you might imagine when picturing holiday party meets fisheries professionals, including an extensive and impressive collection of posters from several years of national meetings:
So from meeting new and interesting people to reconnecting with our "sister" subunit across the bay at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, we had a blast! Thanks again to the AFS for opening their doors to us and welcoming members to their event. And to all our other readers, have your own happy holidays and a great new year.
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| Emily (Secretary) and Brian (President). Credit: AFS (http://tinyurl.com/jjgly9g) |
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| UMES Sister Subunit. Credit: AFS (http://tinyurl.com/jjgly9g) |
