Celebrations

In my opinion, one thing Oprah knows how to do well is celebrate.  She recognizes not just your typical celebrations like anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. She also celebrates people, books, films and accomplishments.  She has the means to entertain well and has used party planning expert Colin Cowie.  I tend to want everything to be party perfect like it came out of the pages of Martha Stewart Living, but what I've learned over the years is that people just enjoy being together.  Two good friends of mine have beautiful pools and they frequently share them with their friends and family.  When they entertain they don't feel the need to make everything from scratch which alleviates a lot of stress.  One of them is so good at doctoring up store bought food that it looks homemade.

One of the most memorable parties I have been to was a neighbors  70's party where everyone dressed like the decade.  My good friend has an adult Halloween party every year which for those of us who love costumes look forward to every year.   Other party ideas which I love are a recipe exchange, ugly sweater contest, movie premiers, and mystery dinner parties.  The internet has a plethora of tips, ideas, blogs and recipes for planning parties. You can even send your invitations out easily with EVITE.  Even though I still love an old-fashioned handwritten invitation I have come to love the convenience of EVITE.

Entertaining can be a lot of work and expensive, but it doesn't always have to be.  It's just as important to celebrate the little things in life.  Sometimes last minute gatherings are the most fun because they don't require any planning.

"Entertaining is not about making an impression.  Instead, it's about being welcoming and calm and making your guests feel comfortable."  Colin Cowie