Sunday, December 24, 2006

A good time was had by all!


Kids opening family gifts
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.
Our annual Christmas Eve Eve party was so much fun! We host it for Greg's family but now my folks started coming and my sister made it this year. Yay!

I highly recommend this method of hosting a party. We put out a big table and everyone brings their favorite appetizer or dessert. We have amazing food. There's no messing around with silverware and balancing plates on your lap -- it's all finger foods except some of the desserts. We do a big cooler full of sodas and drinks for the kids and the bar is open for the grownups.

For the first hour or so, we eat and the kids run rampant. Then the kids get to open their gifts from the family. After that frenzy is over, we do a gift exchange. Everyone who wants to play brings a gift worth $25 or so. We put them in a big pile and draw numbers. It's one of those cut-throat pick or steal games. This may have been the best year ever. Lots of stealing, lots of planning strategies, lots of laughing!

My favorite part of a party like that is when everyone has gone and Greg and I clean up the worst of it and then sit back and smile and know that we did a good job hosting a fun party. The kids are exhaustedly asleep. The bar glasses are still to be done but that can wait. We can sit back, have a last glass of wine (or in this case, ice water!), and talk about the evening and how much fun it was.

Our house is designed for parties and we really should entertain more often. It shines when its full of people.

And, now we get to have a quiet day. My parents took the kids to a movie. I have some gifts to wrap and some dishes to wash but first . . . a nap! Mmmmmmmmm.

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