Party Planning

Today we are celebrating my partner’s birthday, which means that yesterday instead of grocery shopping, making two birthday cakes (one for him), doing the dishes… twice, laundry, mowing the lawn and then making dinner, I should’ve also been cleaning the house. Oh, I had time, I just didn’t want to.

Cleaning means admitting the house is dirty. I prefer the term less than perfect, because, after all, who wants perfection? I’m sure most of the cleaning I do today before we go out to dinner then come back for cake and cocktails will consist of vacuuming, Febreezing and putting away my sewing projects I’ve got scattered in the dining room. I’d dust, but who am I kidding, I won’t.

House is clean, cake is ready, wine is purchased… these are all important. But the most important thing about planning a party is remembering to actually interact with your guests. If you invite people over and then are stuck in the kitchen the entire time trying to prepare stuff for the friends you’ve invited over, that’s not a party, that’s work. That is why whenever we have parties (which, mind you, we are the most boring people in the world, so we don’t do this all too often) we make sure as much is done in advance as possible. If there is a particularly tricky dish you really want to tackle but has to be done right before serving it, perhaps it isn’t the best idea to use for a birthday party but saved for a time when everyone can be involved in the process or be working on their own dishes, like during the holidays.

Parties should be a time to relax for everyone, including the host(s). Sure, something won’t go according to plan and the dog will probably knock somebody over and said somebody will spill their drink on somebody else and a chain reaction not unlike dominoes standing on end where just one tile gets pushed and soon they all fall down occurs. Okay, so a drastic scenario, yes, but not an unlikely one if you’ve ever met our dog, Lucy. By keeping the offerings simple you’ll allow yourself, and your guests, a chance to have fun. After all, isn’t that what parties are for?