We took a few years off from hosting our traditional Christmas party while my husband was stationed away from us, but this year we started the tradition again on a smaller scale. Since we had lots of out of town friends attending my daughter’s run of Nutcracker performances, we decided to host a small get together at our house before opening night.
It was a no-brainer to choose a Nutcracker theme since we have plenty of themed decorations. Since it was the day after Thanksgiving, I kept the menu simple. My husband made his favorite gumbo recipe (it’s here) and I set up a charcuterie board and bite-sized desserts.
I made extra cranberry relish for Thanksgiving knowing that it would be good served in shot glasses; sometimes I do chocolate and lemon mousse and serve it the same way.
We also made ham sandwiches as another savory option (pair them with my homemade mustard recipe here).
The whole event was quick, simple and easy. We ate, drank, and visited for about an hour and a half, threw all the dishes in the sink, and headed to the theater. (My daughter wasn’t even there because she had to be at the theater for one last dress rehearsal, but we saved her leftovers!)
We’re currently down to the last four shows of the season, then it will be time to finish up the last of the Christmas shopping and wrapping. The Nutcracker always makes our holiday season super busy, but so festive and fun.
Amy and I are going to take a few days off from blogging to concentrate on Christmas and our families, but we’ll still be posting on Facebook and Instagram, so look for us there.
Thanks for stopping by~
