At an already-scheduled convocation ceremony Friday afternoon, the incident cast a shadow at a normally festive time.

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In those two hours of festive time with your colleagues, it can go all wrong, but better to make it go all right.

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Mr Thompson's wife Vivienne said that the family faced a worrying time over the festive season.

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Whatever your tipple, the festive season is the one time when we have a genuine reason to splash out on that special bottle to mark the end of year and celebrate with a swathe of parties, dinner and drinks.

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The pub has been forced to cancel its Christmas bookings as the owners are not confident it will reopen in time for the busy festive period.

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Most of the time, the mood was festive.

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However skeptical some of us may be, however jaded by increased commercialism, the festive season continues to celebrate humanity, like no other time.

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Because olives Ascolana take so much time to prepare, they're featured at festive, special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter.

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