We held a party at our house last Saturday. It was a gathering of families, getting together to share some holiday cheer. I counted, and in total there were 19 adults, and 16 children aged 6 and younger. It was a lot of people in our 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath suburban castle, but it was fun. The kids were actually surprisingly quiet, and no lasting injuries occurred. I would call it a resounding success, really.
Here are some scenes from the evening.
Hannah in her party dress, doing some decorating
Folding chairs, all ready to go
Decimated buffet
Empty glasses
One young partygoer takes a reading break
Coats, shoes, hats and bags
Little people playing at their parents’ feet
Jacob drinks some water from a very fancy glass
Playing in the empty tub
Sliding down the stairway
The best part of the evening? Everyone had said their good-byes by 9pm. We all had tired little ones to think of, after all. I’ll admit, I think that I prefer these earlier evenings to the the much later nights of my youth. Plus, there was none of the stress of dealing with the whole meat market scene. We all knew who we were going home with, because their car seats were in our cars.
What about you? Do you have any family parties on the calendar this holiday season, or do you prefer to stay home and have a cozy celebration to yourselves? Or would you rather ditch the kids and have a fancy night on the town? I’ll admit, I sort of relish the idea of going to parties that require nice shoes again.
PS – I have advanced to the second round of the Canadian Blog Awards! From now until December 19 you can vote every day. Look for Strocel.com in the Family and Blog Post Series categories.
We all knew who we were going home with, because their car seats were in our cars.
Very well put! Made me laugh.
A quiet book or knitting project solo at the local coffee house suits me fine these evening (with the family left safely at home).
No parties this year but there’s always hope for the next. I agree with liking the early nights. Even when Hubby and I manage to get out on our own we’re usually home no later than 10pm. It’s a definite sign of my age I think.
.-= Marilyn´s last post ..The Frosty Dance =-.
“We all knew who we were going home with, because their car seats were in our cars.”
This totally cracked me up.
.-= Tracey´s last post ..Follow Friday =-.
I’m quite annoyed now by events that start at 6pm (cough family get-togethers where everyone has forgotton what it’s like to have young children cough) because you KNOW that by the time you go, if you bring the kids, you just have to turn right back around and go home within an hour or so. So it seems a waste.
Events that are close to home and start earlier are the best
Thanks for throwing the party Amber!
.-= Carrie´s last post ..Tis the Season! =-.
I love this post Amber, I love the family party fun feeling you convey and how you keep it all real. I miss those parties and I miss those shoes, but although it is more work, it’s ultimately good to try and continue “partying” when having a family, I believe.
.-= Francesca´s last post ..Crafting Christmas decorations =-.
We have one of those coming up on Sunday — except now we can banish our kids to upper and basement floors and not see them for half-hours at a time. And sometimes we even stay until ten! But I do kind of miss the mosh pit of babies.
I loved the car seats comment too.
.-= Allison´s last post ..************Mean Spirits =-.
Congratulations! Other than the big family dinners we just don’t entertain anymore. (Of course my husband going to bed at 8:30 for his 4am wake up time doesn’t help)
I am lucky that there is my husband’s Christmas Party for his work. They have over 100 people attend and I get to wear heels and nylons that one night per year! A scary thing for a long time stay-home-mom.
.-= *pol´s last post ..Added Enjoyment =-.
We all knew who we were going home with, because their car seats were in our cars.
I agree with Erin. This line made me actually laugh out loud.
We are all night owls. We just attended a preschool party that started at 10:30 in the morning. Who starts a party at 10:30 in the morning? We slept through the alarm and were an hour late and had to grab a few bananas and toothpicks on our way out the door. Sam cut them up in the car, popped them on a paper plate, et voilà — instant contribution to the potluck!
I still prefer the later-evening parties, even if we are among the first to leave around 10 pm. What I don’t like are concerts, plays, and other fun things that start at 8 p.m.. We can’t get someone to babysit a cranky toddler till 11 at night, and he won’t go to bed without me.
.-= Lauren @ Hobo Mama´s last post ..I’d like to thank my sponsor =-.
“we knew who we were going home with because their car seats were in our cars” – great line!
Any party without lasting injuries is a success.
.-= Lady M´s last post ..Giving, Thinking =-.
Our parties these days are pretty much limited to kid-friendly events, and that’s fine with me. I had my daughter late (36) so all the late-night partying was quite out of my system at that point. I would always rather be with her than not, and have never left her with a babysitter. Still, my favorite part of any day or evening out is always getting back home. I was just reading your post about baby wearing and I share your feelings about them growing up. Whenever I feel the most frustrated, I think to myself that things won’t be this way forever, but that I will miss them forever when they’re gone. You’re right, it all goes by so quickly.