Christmas Party in this big old house...

Last night was the first Christmas party we've had since we moved here. My one question: Why did we wait three years to host a Christmas party? It was a great evening.... a lot of friends from here, a few friends from Clear Lake.... everyone got together and it was a night of non-stop talking and laughing and enjoying the delicious pot-luck dinner that 'magically' appeared in our kitchen.

Such delicious foods... casseroles, home-baked breads, specialty cheeses, a huge ham, vegetable quiches, all kinds of salads....... and the desserts-- bread pudding, cherry cake, pumpkin cheesecake, blackberry cheesecake, Italian sweet cake, lemon pound cake, banana pudding.... and I know I'm leaving out a bunch of things. Somehow, at every pot-luck we've ever had, the array of foods is always outstanding and everyone enjoys tasting a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and then going back for 'just a bit more of that because it was just so good....'

Our friends C&L drove up from Clear Lake for the party and stayed in the Cottage last night, rather than driving back home after the party. At our parties in our other house, C&L were always the first to arrive and the last to leave, and we were laughing that they did the same thing now in this house. When I went into the Cottage this morning to collect the sheets and towels, there was the biggest poinsettia plant I've ever seen.... sitting there on the coffee table with a thank-you card for letting them stay over-night after such a big party.

Parts of last night were a blur..... when there's nearly 30 people in your living room and dining room, it's impossible to spend much time with everyone.... I sort of flitted in and out of all the rooms, making sure everyone had what they needed to enjoy their meal.... I think I sat down for maybe 30 minutes the entire night......... the high-heels I started off the party with lasted about an hour, then I switched to lower heels..... and then during the clean-up afterwards, out came the flats. It was 2:00 this morning by the time I got into bed and my head hit that pillow.... but I woke up to a clean kitchen, and the dining room, living room, and breakfast room were back together and ready for whatever comes next.

When I was talking to my Aunt Dolly last week, I told her about the party and she asked how many people were coming...... when I told her "about 30," she said "Oh, that's a small group...." (Which, in our big family, would indeed be a small group.) "And are you giving them a little something as they leave?" Of course... no one leaves our parties without a little gift, or 'favor.' We always did that in our family... no one left empty-handed.... they walked out of the door with a little something to remember the good time they had.

And the tradition continues here....... as it did in our old house. This big old house was meant to have lots of people in it.... meant to be a warm and inviting place for neighbors and friends to come and enjoy one another's company. And isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway?!