At work today we had a white elephant gift exchange party. That's one of the names for the case where everyone puts a gift into the pile, draws numbers, and then takes turns either picking an unwrapped gift from the pile to open, or taking something already opened from someone else.

Generally it's considered to be bad luck to draw a low number because if you pick something lame from the pile you get stuck with it. If you draw a high number you have many choices. Anyway, I had the second pick and chose a hefty smallish boxed item from the pile. Turns out it was a pewter picture frame.

Made in Ireland...

In the town of Mullingar...

Which is next to Lough Ennell...

Where I did my Master's!


I thought that was a pretty cool coincidence and so did everyone else when I mentioned it.

Unfortunately the high quality of the frame meant that I did not get to keep it long, and so I had to choose something else, which turned out to be a set of four hand-painted wine glasses. Their tacky pink flamingos suited my taste but even they didn't last that long.

In the end, after several picks and re-picks I did end up with the flamingo glasses. And the picture frame!

Turns out the guy who ended up with the frame didn't really want it, and had taken it from me just to liven things up a bit, which did happen. He gave me the frame after the party so now I need to find a nice photo for it.


Mullingar Pewter Celtic frame (mine's the middle one)