I took a different approach to our Christmas party this year. I probably put out more goodies than last year, but I scaled back on the planning and cooking/baking from, say, our cookouts in June and August. The truth is, Adam and I have both been under the weather for the past couple of weeks. We hosted Thanksgiving, which was wonderful but also took some of our steam. I just didn’t feel as organized and on top of things for this party. And we were not blessed with good weather last night. It was kind of a gross, rainy, snowy, nasty night. So we had 10 people after some cancellations, and I finally decided mid-afternoon yesterday to not make myself crazy with the spread and the decorating. I put out what I had done by then and decided to just go with the flow (surprisingly, this is really hard for me to do). We had plenty of food for everyone, and I just wanted to enjoy the company of those who braved the weather to come celebrate us.

And we had a great time. Some new faces who haven’t been over before, including my high school friend Florence (first time I’ve seen her in 12 years!!). There was plenty for everyone to eat, and we just hung out and enjoyed each other’s company. It was a really nice, laid back evening with some good friends. I was enjoying myself so much that I completely forgot about taking pictures, so I only have “After” photos of the spread. So I apologize for the picked-over look of these tables. I’m learning that sometimes I’ve just got to give myself a break, not try to outdo every party I’ve done before, and just have a good time without making it look like a Martha Stewart photo shoot. And that worked for me this year.

Today we’re recovering and trying to get ourselves fully into the Christmas spirit. I’ve got lots of gifts to sort out, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the next few weeks of December.