Holiday Traditions

Well, it's now a couple days past Thanksgiving. Did you all enjoy your holiday? We had wonderful time with family, and now we are looking forward to enjoying leftovers for the next three months. Unfortunately we ran out of leftover gravy already.

But a party hostess has no time to dwell on the parties of yesterday when there is such a festive season to come! Yay for Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Festivus)! I've heard of many fun themed events happening in the next few weeks from Cookie Exchange Parties, to a Tree Lighting Party, to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.

But there's one I'm looking forward to most of all. My parents have thrown the same formula Christmas Party for the past TWENTY YEARS. There are some new faces every year and some people who used to come but have moved far away, but there is a group of about twenty people or more who keep getting invited and keep coming back year after year. This is a tribute to the quality of friendships that my folks maintained throughout the past two decades. (Or maybe it's just a tribute to the popularity of the super-strong hot buttered rum that is always served.)

So, I've been thinking of party traditions. The holidays are the perfect time to consider starting your own tradition. Friends and family move away and we lose touch during the year, but having an annual event in your hometown can bring everyone together. Maybe get a group of the old gang to come over for (spiked) hot chocolate and board games on Christmas night after their family obligations are finished. Or pitch the idea that all the cousins go bowling on Christmas Eve. Begin a tradition of a service project that everyone can work on together - serving a hot meal at a soup kitchen, distributing toys to local families in need, putting a care package together for our troops overseas.

Brainstorm with select friends or family to decide what fits your group best. Renew those old acquaintances this year!

Pyramid Napkin Fold

Dress up your Thanksgiving table and amaze your friends with this simple napkin-folding technique! This has been called the Pyramid Fold, although I'm sure it has other names. Start with any cloth napkin. It helps if you use a little starch, just to help it stand up better.


Take a basic napkin and fold it in half diagonally.


Then take one of the sides, and fold it down to the center point.


Then fold down the other side so the napkin has a seam down the middle.


Flip over the napkin with the "open" end away from you.


Fold the bottom point of the diamond (the one closest to you) up to the top point, creating a triangle.


Fold the triangle in half at the seam, creating a smaller triangle.


Place the folded triangle, with the right angle closest to the ceiling, on your plate. The triangle will open a little, so it can stand up.





Ta Da!! One down, twelve to go. Enjoy how pretty it looks now. Before long, you'll be cringing as your uncle wipes his mouth and gets gravy all over your pretty napkin. *Sigh*

Girls Night In Movie Party

Sometimes it's nice to just kick the guys out of the house and have a Girls' Night In. One of the best excuses I've found for this is a DVD Release Party. In addition to providing cheap entertainment, movies instantly create a theme for the night. I'm thinking Sex and the City, the latest Harry Potter, the Sound of Music re-release, or my personal pick, Eclipse (the third Twilight movie). Go ahead and make all the cougar jokes you want, I love the romance and adventure of Bella, Edward, and Jacob! I've hosted parties for the previous two DVD releases, so when Eclipse comes out on Dec. 4, you'd better believe my friends and I will be ready for it!

Step 1 - Choose the movie for your party. Eclipse is actually the perfect choice for Girls' Night. The men in your lives will be more than happy to stay home and even watch your kiddos, as long as they don't have to watch this movie.

Step 2 - Invite friends who love the movie, or at least can appreciate it ironically, or at the very least, won't make fun of your love for it!

Step 3 - Food - Helps to choose a few appetizers that go with the theme. Maybe a dish they serve in the movie. In any case, remember that many women are watching their weight, so always provide a healthy option. On the other hand, this is a party for the ladies, so chocolate or some kind of dessert should definitely be served. For Twilight:Eclipse, I'm making little sugar cookies that have phrases like "Bite Me", "Imprint on Me", and "I *heart* E.C." written on them in icing. It's okay to be nerdy, you're among friends.

Step 4 - Decorations - Alright, so Girls' Night doesn't really demand decor, but your friends will appreciate a couple little touches. Put out a nice tablecloth and make sure all the paper plates and napkins are a fun color that goes with the theme. (Red for Eclipse, with a big bowl of red apples as the centerpiece to evoke the Twilight book cover art. Or maybe a red ribbon circling around the dishes on the table. Or a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Edward. Or not.)

Step 5 - Drinks - Girls' Night demands a great cocktail. Sex in the City - serve cosmopolitans, of course. Harry Potter - maybe a butterscotch schnapps cocktail, reminiscent of Butterbeer? Sound of Music - hmmm... champagne? (The only reason I say that is Liesl's line, "I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne!" Plus, champagne is awesome.) Eclipse - blood red wine.

Step 6 - The (Drinking) Game - Of course you can always substitute M&Ms or something instead of shots if your friends aren't big drinkers, but a Movie-themed drinking game can keep everyone's attention focused on the movie, and can be a laugh riot. Other movies, like Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Sound of Music have developed non-drinking audience participation that you could do instead.

Here are some links to drinking games for popular movies and TV shows out on DVD: (I did the Google search for you!!)

Eclipse

Sex and the City Movie or Sex and the City TV show

Harry Potter

X-Files

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Non-drinking audience participation movies -

Rocky Horror

Sound of Music and additional prop ideas

Entertaining Christmas Parties

There's so much going on during the holidays, but the best part is getting together with your friends and family. If you plan on hosting a Christmas soiree this year, how do you keep it festive and fun? This topic comes a little early, but if you are a compulsive planner like I am, you are already thinking about your seasonal party. Here are some ideas to get you started....

1. Bake off - Every guest needs to bring a plate of cookies to share. You provide the milk! Then guests vote on the best cookie. If everyone emails you their recipe ahead of time, you can compile the recipes and print them out, so everyone gets a pack of Christmas cookie recipes as a party favor.


2. Cookie decorating - If it's a cozy and casual vibe you are after, why not fill your home with the smell of freshly baked cut-out cookies? Make all the cut-outs before the guests arrive and cover the table with a protective plastic sheet and all the toppings and icings you can find! Let the guests go wild decorating their cookies. This is great for little kids and adults.


3. How about an ornament decorating station? Have lots of glitter, puff balls, pipe cleaners, etc. Best ornament, as voted on by the group, gets an awesome prize! Hang all ornaments on a tree as they are finished, so everyone can admire them. Beware - as the amount of alcohol served at the party increases, the ornaments will get more silly and/or raunchy. Good way to break the ice and let grown-ups play with Elmer's glue again. They'll do things with pipe cleaners that would embarrass their children. Fun!
   


4. We have always done a "white elephant" gift exchange at my family's Christmas party. Guests should bring something from their home that they don't want anymore (or they can purchase something, but that takes some of the challenge out of it in my opinion) and wrap it nicely. The funnier item the better. We've had macrame plant holders, a dashboard hula girl, a clown wig, a beer hat, a bottle of moonshine, a giant Hillshire Farms sausage... And you draw numbers to see who goes first. After the first round, people can chose to open a new present, or steal a gift that has already been opened. I suggest putting limits on how many times an item can be stolen each turn, or it gets out of hand. This game gets really competitive and fun! You would be amazed at the crazy items people are desperate to get!! Oh, and it's nice to let the person who drew number 1 go again at the very end of the game, so they at least get one chance to steal.


5. Live music. Whether you hire a five piece jazz combo, or you lead a carol sing-along, nothing gets people into the holiday spirit like a little Christmas music.


6. Dress up. There's something thrilling about having a chance to go out on the town looking like a million bucks. Insisting on "Holiday Dress Up Attire" will ensure that guests come to your home with a sparkling attitude. Make the most of the fancy vibe by serving cocktails or champagne and using non-disposable dishware.


7. If all else fails, there's always beer pong.

Thanksgiving Planning

So excited for Thanksgiving this year! One, because it's the first time I get to host the holiday at my own home. And two, because for the first time since high school (12 years ago), that I don't have to travel to be with family on Turkey Day - because they are coming to me. No stress about crowded highways and sleeping in a strange bed. No wondering whether there will be a quiet place for my toddler to take a nap if she gets tired before mashed potatoes are served.

Now - on to the best part! Making the menu! I grabbed my back issues of November Bon Appetit magazine, my trusty Better Homes cookbook, and a paper and pen, and set to work.

I think it's helpful to write out every course of the main Thanksgiving meal, as well as every other meal your out of town guests will eat while at your house. This helps gets the "MASTER GROCERY LIST" together. The last thing you want to do is battle the totally packed grocery store on Thanksgiving eve because you ran out of milk for cereal. You also end up spending much more if you make multiple trips to the store, so better to get it all at once.

I have heard from several people and sources that it is pointless to deviate from the standard Thanksgiving menu. People come to Thanksgiving expecting certain things will be served. If you decide that you want rice pilaf instead of potatoes this year as a side dish, there will be mutiny! Guests will throw their salad forks at you! If you serve both rice and mashed potatoes, all of the potates will be devoured before you can say "Howdy Pilgrim" and the rice will sit untouched until the third day of eating leftovers. This doesn't mean you can't exercise a little creativity. A glance at the last four Novemeber Bon Appetit's shows about twelve different ways to make and season a turkey. But you have to have a turkey. Sorry. If you serve Bouillabaisse in place of a turkey because you want to go vegetarian this year, some people will cry. CRY! And your job as a hostess is to help your guests have a good time. No Bouillabaisse.

The only real choice you have in the menu is for appetizers and dessert. And sometimes not even dessert. You might have to have a pumpkin pie. It's tradition. But, you can (and should!)make a second dessert for non-pie fans. Anything goes! Cheesecake, creme brulee, assorted cookies - it's all fabulous. No one will be sad if you make too much dessert.

As for appetizers, here's where you as a host can really stretch your culinary wings. The main guidance I will give is that the dish should NOT be something that requires an oven on Thanksgiving day. The oven will be more than occupied with turkey and other food. Something you can make a day ahead of time will save you some day-of hassle. Imagine having the appetizer already arranged on it's serving platter the night before, ready to place on the table as soon as the first guest arrives. When you are making mashed potatoes, basting the turkey, greeting guests, and pouring waters all at the same time on Thanksgiving Day, you will be thankful to me for that little suggestion.

Another suggestion is to delegate the appetizers. As the host, you will likely be responsible for the majority of the food, and your vision for the menu probably includes foods that pair well together. Appetizers are a great thing to delegate because you don't care what the guest brings! In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter if the appetizer pairs well with the meal. Actually, it will be nice to have some variation. Middle Eastern dips with pita chips? Yes, please! Mini hotdogs? Don't mind if I do!

If you have a guest coming that you just can't trust to cook anything worth eating, well, that's when you say, "It would be great if you could bring a bottle of wine!"