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~
Chrisrty – everything is so awesome!! I’m sure these pics don’t do the table setting justice! And I hope you/Amy and all the other bloggers out there take some time off from ‘blogland’ because you all deserve it!
MERRY CHRISTMAS Friend to you/your family!! oxo
Thanks so much, Julie! I was just working on a post again today and it felt good to be back in the swing of things. Happy New Year, my friend!Christy
Wow! So special! The table looked amazing!
Thanks so much, Lori! I hope you enjoyed some down time towards the end of the month–see you in January!
XO, Christy
Wow, this looks amazing. Great deserts and such pretty presentations. I am sure everyone loved the Nutcracker performance. Such a special time for your daughter and family. Thanks for all the wonderful posts that past year – I look forward to more in the coming year too. I wish you and your family the very Merriest of Christmas.
Thanks so much, Marty. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too! We’re looking forward to lots of fun collaborations in 2020.
XO,Christy (& Amy)