My Annual Christmas Party

I’m posting this exactly 2 months after the event. That’s how much I’m lagging behind!

Every year, I’ll throw a Christmas party and the venue’s been at my place for quite a few years running. There’s always so much to do every year and since I usually do a little hands on cooking, it’s a whole day affair! I even had to miss Debbie’s party in the afternoon cause there just wasn’t enough time for me to make it to her party and back to cook.

After having so much left over turkey the last year, this time, I decided that baked rosemary chicken would be more than enough. I also decided to do my own honey baked ham, baked pineapples, sour plum and tomato granita, vinaigrette watermelon cubes  and chocolate dipped strawberries among other offerings. Thank goodness I had Andrew come help me in the kitchen! He was a super hardworking guest and a life-saver!

My godson and his family were the first guests arrive and I was still rushing in and out of the kitchen in my apron waiting for all my goodies to finish baking in the oven! A quick couple of shots with my little godson before I had to go freshen up. He’s such a cutie, no wonder he is Santa’s favorite!

By the time I rushed in to change, all my guests started arriving. I invited the same usual friends but I guess the circle must have expanded somehow (with plus ones and little ones) because there were about 30 people in my tiny little apartment! I even ran out of seats at one point! Thankfully most of them staggered their arrival so it didn’t seem that overwhelmingly crowded.

Louis and Emmie get really excited when there is a party cause they love people and they were more than happy to help entertain the guests while I was setting up the table. I bought the reindeer ears in London and the Christmas hats in Daiso and they have been wearing this costume every christmas for 3 years now.

Some of my guests asked me before the party if there was a dress code and I said “Red” on a whim! And the girls really all came in red! How sporting! Maybe I should come up with a more adventurous theme for 2012. Some of my very kind guests brought food to contribute the the Christmas feast!

Although there was so much food! Everything was wiped out by the end of the night! I guess I got the proportions just right this time instead of the massive leftovers I had last year.

I hope all my guest had a good meal that night. It was a relatively simple gather, eat and mingle party but I had  a good time knowing that all my friends were able to spend Christmas together. I’m pretty traditionalist that way.

Next was the present exchanging time. This part got a little chaotic cause there were so many people oohing and ahhing over their gifts. The base of my tree was overflowing with presents. But everyone had something which was really fun!

I think I missed out a lot of people at my party in the photos and I never got round to asking everyone for a group shot! I shall make a mental note of that for the next party.

JW and E were the official photographers of the night. JW can be found at most corners of my house! He looks really stressed out when taking photos but he’s been taking really good pictures!

Everyone left at different times and I think my last guests left at 6am and I had a tornado of pates, pots and what-nots in the kitchen. Thanks goodness I had a dish washer and lovely sweet souls like, Andrew, Janice and Lian Khye who helped me clean up the place.  We all sat down for some more wine and champagne when it was all quite. Louis and Emmie worked as mascots to send each guests off to the door at the end of the night.

Was it tiring? Of course. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I don’t love to throw parties, and I hate to clean up. But I do enjoy having all my friends together, happy and contented. The quality time spent on an occasion like Christmas with family and friends are ranked pretty high up my priority list and I hope that there will be so much fun, laughter and happiness every year. Christmas is the time of the year I count my blessings.