Nicole's Decorations & Party

“On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: nine Ladies Dancing, eight Maids a Milking, seven Swans a Swimming, six Geese a Laying, five Golden Rings, four Calling Birds, three French Hens, two Turtle Doves, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.” – Frederic Austin

This week Nicole and her family are hosting their annual Christmas party. She will be sharing pictures of the preparation process as well as sharing some of the things that her and her family have in store for their guests. 

Enjoy!

Samantha

Like Samantha said, every year my family hosts a Christmas Party, and while it can sometimes be a bit crazy around our house as we’re getting ready for it, it’s always a fun night and a highlight of the Christmas season.

One of the big things we do to get ready is decorate our house! We usually start decorating at the beginning of December and slowly add more decorations as the days go by…finishing with our tree the week before the party. This year our Nativity set was one of the first decorations to go up, along with our Winter Village. I love our Winter Village! A number of years ago, my mom and dad and I made it with a bit of help from my little brother. We got the directions from a Martha Stewart Magazine (if you want to make one yourself, you can find instructions here, on the Martha Stewart website). 

We’ll also put up a few garlands, candles and a wreath on our front door. We always get a real Christmas tree…and I love that fresh Christmas tree smell!

Another thing we have to do to get ready for the party is all the planning and preparing of the food. Every year my Dad makes his ‘famous’ Christmas cookies…a definite highlight of the party and Christmas! We do our party in a pot-luck, buffet style. Everyone brings some sort of appetizer and we always have fruit and vegetables, a cheese ball, as well as meats and cheeses for little ‘bunwiches’. My mom usually makes meatballs, and maybe another appetizer as well, and everyone always brings something interesting…this year Samantha is going to bring fried Won Tons…yum!

The day of the party is spent cleaning, setting up, and preparing more food. Lots of dusting, vacuuming, setting up the table, chopping fruits, veggies, and cheese etc. Once everyone arrives, there’s lots of eating, talking, and laughing going on all evening! Some years we might sing a few Christmas carols as well. After everyone leaves there’s usually lots to clean up, but it’s always worth it!

Nicole