12 guests arriving. 11 coats a’hanging. 10 dripping boots. 9 plates of cookies. 8 people eating. 7 cups a’sitting. 6 ladies chatting. 5 children screaming. 4 degrees outside. 3 broken ornaments. 2 spilled drinks. 1 Christmas party!
Yesterday was my mom’s Christmas party for her neighbors. Since my husband and I are visiting from Tennessee, we were lucky enough to be invited along with the neighbors. And because my husband and I had been visiting friends 70 miles away, we arrived just in time for the party, and were lucky enough to escape the prep work.
My poor mother! Thankfully, she was lucky enough to have the help of a creative neighbor, who enjoys putting together parties.
My mom is always brilliant when it comes to serving food and put together a lovely mix of appetizers and snacks. She filled our tummies with pinwheels, brushettas, veggie and fruit platters, and topped it off with apple cider and wine. Neighbors also contributed with a delicious array of cookies. There are 11 months to diet from one month of Christmas for a reason!
The special part about her Christmas party was that it was made up of mostly neighbors. What a blessing to live in a place where you know your neighbors well enough to have a party with them. I think that we all lament the social isolation in neighborhood communities, but few of us have made an effort to reach out.
Of course, it takes time. My mom has lived in this community for seven years and this was her second neighborhood Christmas party. (The first one was before my dad passed away in December of 2007.) I appreciate that she was willing to step out and bring everyone together!
Some of the appetizers recipes follow in the next blog entry below. I hope that you can enjoy making some of these recipes, and perhaps even enjoy them with your neighbors. Merry Christmas!
Ed Final Note: Several neighbors mentioned that since we were having such a good time visiting together, we should do this more often! The success of the party was not the food, but building relationships with friends and neighbors. Memories created. Goal achieved.
We have purchased the DVD, Mysterious Islands, as a Christmas gift for our family. I’m hoping we’ll open the gift, and view the DVD, on Christmas Eve.
Thank you for the holiday recipes, I have been working extra hours outside the home this week and needed a few simple, but festive, recipes.
Merry Christmas!