"We should do this every month!"

That's exactly what one of the neighbors said at our Christmas party last night........ "We should do this every month! This is fantastic!"  

When he said that, I thought of the weeks of planning, the days of moving tables and chairs into place, the grocery shopping, the dishes and cups and silverware that are set out and then have to be washed and put away........ and I told the neighbor that I'd put him on top of my volunteer list for helping-out with this once-a-month party idea of his.

I have to say that last night's party had a new energy to it, and I don't know why.  All the other parties we've given here have been fun, but there wasn't a quiet moment or a lull in any of the conversations last night.  The table in the dining room was filled.... as were two tables in the living room, plus I had chairs arranged around the side tables in the living room as well.

The one thing that gets me is that if someone has to leave early for whatever reason, that first good-bye somehow becomes a must-leave-clue to everyone else.  I think we need to tell everyone that if one or two people have to leave, that doesn't mean the party is over.  When we lived in Clear Lake, our parties lasted till midnight..... out here, by 9:30 or 10:00, everyone has gone home. I guess everyone is just busier out here, with property and livestock and gardening and endless chores that don't get done by picking up a phone book and calling someone.

I told my husband that from now on, I'm not sending out invitations that say "It's a Halloween Party... Come in Costume!"   or....... "Come Celebrate Valentine's Day... Wear Something Red!"    Everyone sincerely had a great time last night because it was "just" a Christmas party..... no costumes, no pressure, just come and enjoy a potluck dinner with friends and neighbors because it's Christmas.  That must be the secret here.... just get everyone together to have a nice dinner and enjoy talking with neighbors that they don't get to see that often.

I'm sure that all the decorations add a special touch to the night and everyone smiles when they see them, no matter which holiday it is.  One of our neighbors, a very tall strapping man who's most comfortable on either a horse or a tractor...... I saw him sitting in our living room and looking at the Christmas trees in there, and he was smiling like a six-year-old, saying "This is great.... this is just so great."

Everything is back to pre-party mode now..... chairs are back where they belong, extra tables are closed up and in place..... everything is washed and dried and put away.  Maybe that neighbor is right...... we need to do this every month.