Holiday Party

The Mad Men style holiday party was a success. Fun was had by all as you can see from the array of bottles, dishes, and glassware in the background. I realized last night after everyone went home that we didn't take one single photo together. So, I set up the Gorillapod and we posed for the camera before collapsing on the couch. Jesse had already removed his tie, but you get the idea. I'm pretty sure I also forgot to take photos of the food and drink, but maybe there's a stray shot of the nibbles in the background here and there. 

With J at the makeshift bar whipping up champagne cocktails, martinis, gimlets and sidecars, it was practically a crime to walk around with an empty glass. One of our friends had the brilliant idea of bringing a case of candy cigarettes, which were quite a hit. I initially thought they'd be great Bah Humbug props (for those who chose not to dress up), but everyone came dressed to the nines. It was awesome. I'm pretty sure we'll be scrubbing simple syrup, Creme de Casis, and those little white sticks of sugar off our floor for months. However, as a good friend of mine recently said, "The floor is disgusting. That's the sign of a good party." 

As for Mr. M, he slept like a charm through the party, hence the lack of photos. After such a good night's sleep, he was happy and alive at six o'clock sharp. I brought him into bed with us and he thrashed around until I relented 45 minutes later and decided to let J sleep in. I popped two Advil and a Lindt truffle, chugged a glass of water, and waded through the kitchen to find the french press and coffee beans. As I waited for the kettle to boil, I dreamed of bagels and leftover smoked salmon that we talked about before bed. For a split second, I thought I'd head out to the bagel shop with M and surprise J. Then, I saw that it was 35º and decided that another truffle and some stale popcorn sounded like a perfectly reasonable breakfast. I think I will definitely need two cups of coffee to make it through the day, but it was totally worth kicking off the holiday season with a splash.

Holiday Party

Jesse and I decided that we are going to host a holiday party at our place this year. We've yet to have many people over to our new apartment, which is a shame since we've been living here for exactly a year now. Morning sickness and a crippling lack of energy during the early months of pregnancy throws a damper on holiday celebrations. However, I've used my get out of jail free card now, it's time to party Mad Men style. This year's party has a dress code -- 50s or 60s chic. I'm talking skinny ties, smoking jackets, button down sweaters and fab cocktail dresses. Of course we'll let in modern day fashion with the caveat that there will be Bah Humbug accessories handed out at the door.

We're actually pretty excited about it and will likely go overboard on planning and execution. This weekend, our friends Ben & Daphne were in town and we used them as guinea pigs for a few potential retro cocktails on our drink menu. We've narrowed down the selection and will continue to tweak a couple more recipes. After dropping off Ben & Daphne at the airport on Sunday, we went shopping for a few holiday decorations and started brainstorming our food menu. Last night we took a walk to the library to check out a few books on cocktails and finger foods. Then we mulled over our book selections at Deschutes Brewery while sipping their winter seasonal beers. They were delicious! 

I can't wait for Christmas!