I've probably used the photo above before, but can you blame me? There's no filter on that; it's really where I get to live. Amazingly lucky. Also, totally unrelated to this week's post.
Half of my parents (I grew up with four to most people's two, again, lucky me!) were telling me about their New Year's Eve party eighteen months ago. On December 30, they called everyone who lived within ten yards of their house, which I think was four or five other couples, and invited them to come hang out in the yard with them for a few hours around dinner time. Maybe people brought over whatever they were going to eat, potluck style, or maybe they didn't, I'm not sure, but the key features I want to emulate in my hosting future are these:
- People didn't have lots of time to plan or worry.
- If invitees had other plans, they didn't need to feel as if they were missing something big.
- Nobody had to spend time cleaning the house.
- Expectations were low.
Of course, they all had a great time. While it is absolutely true that anticipation can heighten the joy of an event, it's also true that too much anticipation can lead to letdowns. This way, whatever happened would be more than expected because there were no expectations.
Though I'm usually a plan-in-advance person, I love the idea of hosting last-minute get-togethers. Maybe I'll try one soon.
What are your thoughts on the last-minute party? Please share any responses and/or invitations in the comments.
Once when I was at your house, you decided to host a party that same night. It was lovely! A steady stream of people showed up over the course of the evening to sit by the fire pit and chat. I was jealous of what nice neighbors (co-workers) you had and how easily they could get together.
Also, for those of us with constantly changing schedules, last minute is the only time we know we can attend!
I think the obvious response to this comment is that you should come for a visit so that I can host another last-minute party — just maybe when it’s warm enough to light up the fire pit!