Annual Holiday Luncheon

Past Luncheons

4th Annual Holiday Luncheon - December 6, 2025

More Than a Holiday Party

By Rick Waters

"It is difficult to choose the best way to report on our annual holiday party. The first temptation is to go “over the top” with the “Wow!”, the “Fantastic”, and the “Amazing” sort of descriptions. And while it was all that, it was also a gathering that got to the core of what we’re all about: and that is offering peer support to those who share the same journey, a journey to a better quality of life through better hearing.

There really were two levels of activity occurring at the gathering: at the front of the room, there were the prize draws, the questions from Bowen and the group discussions which ensued, the wonderful selection of food, and, of course, the silly holiday clothing contest. But around the edges, and at the tables, I witnessed many conversations pertaining to the cochlear implant issues that concern all of us on the journey. Things like the qualifying process, the wait list times, the brand of implant decision process, the “what could you hear after your activation” descriptions, how do you manage on the phone, and do you enjoy music. And in each of those exchanges, people were picking up tips, managing their expectations, and learning valuable hearing rehab tricks. And isn’t that what our group is all about?

A few specifics now. We had 23 people, both recipients, candidates, and family/friends in attendance. A good proportion of those managed to find some holiday clothing to wear, and Dick Williams was the winner on the men’s side, and Debbie won on the women’s side.

There was waaaaaay too much good food, the room was nicely decorated with a tree and lights, everybody who wished for a free shopping trip to the gift table got what they wished for, and oh yeah: AI, or artificial intelligence, demonstrated just how dumb it can be, as it put up some very naughty words as it did the captioning on the screen. This, of course, brought out lots of laughter.

We also had good support from some of the leading audiologists in the Lower Mainland, including Network Hearing, Elevate Hearing, Vancouver Hearing Centre, and Sonaris Hearing Center. These clinics generously donated gifts to our prize table. Henry Lam, one of the audiologists from Sonaris, attended and provided some answers to questions from a professional perspective.

So, if you were there, you would have had a great time. If you can’t make it, hopefully this will motivate you to attend next year.

Thanks to Bowen, who did much of the administration, and to Bernie and Cliff, who, as always, did a fantastic job of creating a wonderful party atmosphere."