1997  

For the 1997 Christmas Party gift exchange, Brewster Jones wanted to bring a gift that was Corvette-related.  He was able to secure a big-block 427 piston from Cliff Hall’s (Corvette Specialists) Shop.  He wrapped it up and Rick and Joyce Crumley were certainly surprised to open their gift and find an old, dirty piston.   Thus, they became the first couple to get the now infamous Christmas piston.

 1998 

Rick and Joyce decided to recycle the piston for the 1998 Christmas Party, so they signed it, added an ornament to it, and wrapped it up.  Rick and Susie Hale chose their gift from under the tree that year, unaware that the piston had returned. This piston thing had started to take on a life of its own.

 1999  

After Rick painted the piston red, Susie glued on the plaid Christmas ribbon and they added a snowman ornament.  Darrel and Betty Skinner got the piston that year.

 2000

Darrel and Betty added a Christmas message to the piston.  E.R. and Mary Lou Robberson received it that year.

 2001  

E.R. and Mary Lou added another Christmas message.  Mike and Joan Salmon were the recipients of the piston at the annual Christmas party.

2002

Mike and Joan added a 50^th Anniversary Corvette ornament.  Rick and Debbie Goodale picked the right package and were the next piston-keepers.

2003

Rick took the piston to a whole new level when he turned it into a working lamp! Debbie added the shade, which they signed on the inside.  At the Christmas party, everyone was on the lookout for the piston.  Those Goodale’s were sneaky, though.  They wrapped up only the lampshade, which was very light and no one even suspected that the box could   be the piston.  P.D. and Mandy Brackman were very surprised to be the recipients of a lampshade, but when the lamp was revealed, they were extremely pleased to get the piston that year. 

2004  

P.D. and Mandy added a Corvette picture to the lampshade.  It truly was a decorative piece now.  Kris and Lynn Conley got it that year.  It was becoming harder and harder   to wrap it so that members didn’t suspect what was inside, and everyone now really wanted to get the piston.

 2005  

Kris and Lynn wracked their brains all year trying to come up with an innovative idea.  At practically the last minute Kris had a brainstorm.  He attached a steering wheel to the base! At the Christmas party, there were several gifts that could have been the piston, but Susie Hale picked up a small, star-shaped box and lo and behold, inside was a little object that resembled a piston, and then the real thing was brought out from a hiding place!  So Rick and Susie Hale were again the piston-holders.

2006 

Rick and Susie were at a loss as to how they were ever going to be able to improve upon the piston, but right before Christmas Rick had an idea.  He mounted a gold Corvette on top of the lampshade.  They disguised the gift that year by attaching a note to the front of an ordinary Corvette calendar and wrapping that.  Then they got to the party extra early and hid the piston under the table.  New members, Mike and Nancy Seiber, got the calendar, and upon reading the note on it, didn’t really realize what they had! After then revealing the piston, members crowded around and gave them a brief history of the piston!

2007  

This past year the Seibers couldn’t make it to the Christmas Party, so Anny and Lyle Tyson volunteered to pick it up from them and found a way to get it in to the party      unnoticed. Mike and Nancy added a Steering Wheel Spinner/Brody knob to the steering wheel and a miniature Georgia license plate that says DROPTOP.  Mary Henderson really wanted that piston, but so did Jim Cohen.  Neither had ever had it before, so they were both really on the lookout.  Mary was the last to pick a gift from under the tree (actually there were 2 left because one couple had brought 2 gifts) and she chose the small gift snowman bag.  She picked the right one, because inside was a picture of the Christmas piston! Mary finally got her Christmas wish and she and Jack are already plotting their addition for this year.  

AND OUR 2007 WINNERS ARE MARY & JACK HENDERSON!!
Last year Mary said, "I was sure I was going to take it home with me, but ended up giving it away!!" A few days before our party this year I received an e-mail from Mary asking, "Could you give me a little hint as to how you are going to wrap it?!! I would like to take it home!  Ha!" 2008 Jack & Mary Henderson had the piston camouflaged well.  It was a Christmas ornament with a recorded message from Jack and Mary stating "You are the new owner of the Piston for this year".  They added the photo that came on the Christmas ornament to the piston.  Jim Cohen was thrilled to open his gift, and finally receive the piston.  What will Jim add to the piston lamp for 2009?

Who will receive the new and improved piston?  Only Santa knows for sure.