“Holiday” and “party” are two of my favorite words. Put them together and it’s the jackpot for me.
I imagine the smell of fresh pine and gingerbread cookies as I sip my hot apple cider, with or without rum – depending on the gathering. “Jingle Bell Rock” plays in the background as the fireplace crackles and guests arrive with red sweaters and rosy cheeks.
Of course, this is after I have sent invitations, cleaned house, set the table, arranged the bar, planned the menu and prepared all of the food.
Hosting a party can be an enormous undertaking, unless you are Martha Stewart and have a sous chef chopping all of your vegetables and a production assistant arranging flowers and polishing the silver. I’m usually on my own during the preparation process, unless you include my best friend, Pinterest.
Dublin Life readers and I have come across a few ways to host holiday festivities without breaking our backs or bank accounts. One suggestion is to host a brunch and serve casseroles and frittatas, which is less expensive than cooking dinner. A wine and cheese party can be made lower-budget by slicing baguettes and domestic cheeses. And desserts can be simplified if you stick to fruit, chocolate and a bubbly Prosecco instead of champagne.
My favorite suggestion, however, is to co-host a progressive dinner party, which is a ton of fun and quite popular in Dublin.
Anita McClure says the Belvedere neighborhood hosts an annual progressive New Year’s Eve party. The kids meet at “the babysitter house,” where a few teenagers watch all the younger children together.
The parents – usually 7-10 couples – gather at one home for appetizers at 7:30 p.m. After an hour, they all move on to another residence for the main course and, at 10:30, they walk to a third house for dessert and to ring in the New Year. Sometimes they play card or trivia games, trying to remember the most popular songs or news of the year.
“It’s a fun night with friends and great that we can all safely walk home instead of driving,” says Anita.
Jennifer Rodgers of Llewellyn Farms says the subdivision has a winter progressive dinner, too. The odd-numbered houses bring the appetizers and the even-numbered ones bring desserts.
After gathering for hors d’oeuvres, the couples head to one of five or six homes for dinner, which is catered by Party Panache Customized Catering in Dublin.
“It’s easier on the host couple because they just have to set the table and heat up the prepared dinner,” says Jennifer.
The Llewellyn Farms Association provides the salad and bread, and each couple supplies its own drinks.
The St. Brigid of KildareWomen’s Club has put on the annual Casino Night Progressive Dinner for the past 10 years and Stacy McVan has chaired three of them.
This social event runs a little differently because so many people attend. They start with appetizers at one large location, previously the Spa at River Ridge. Guests pull a name at random and that determines the house they will go to next. Directions are attached and at 7:30 p.m., everyone heads out.
“It’s great because you get to meet new members of the church,” says Stacy. “You may have couples who have been married for five years with a pair who have been together for 50.”
Eight to 10 homes are needed for dinner, food is all catered by Cooper’s Hawk and wine is provided by Sycamore Lake Wine Company. At 9 p.m., guests head to Enke Hall at St. Brigid, for casino table games and dessert. Everyone gets a bucket of chips and prizes are awarded at the end of the night to the winners. Cost is $40 per person, and the next event is Feb. 7.
A variation on the progressive dinner is a supper club where each couple takes one night a year to host.
Vickie Edwards is part of a gourmet group in her Balmoral neighborhood. The host picks a theme, decides on a menu and sends links to the other attendees so they can choose a side dish, salad or dessert to prepare.
For example, one night was New Orleans Creole and Cajun food, and they ate jambalaya, po-boys and shrimp and grits. French night was hosted by a French teacher who educated her neighbors on the sequence of food in France and their traditions.
Another idea is to have all the couples to one house, but each family is in charge of preparing and serving one part of the meal. Dublin resident, Kristine Westerheide says it works well because no one is stuck in the kitchen for too long and there is more time to have fun and enjoy your friends.
After all, fine dining, festive drinks and enjoying the company of friends is what it’s all about … especially around the holidays!-CD
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
