Before I had children, my husband and I threw the best holiday parties. Weโd head out on field trips all over New York City, where we lived at the time, to hunt down finger foods and festive garlands. Weeks before the big night, weโd have menu-planning sessions and discuss pressing issues: knishes or empanadas? Pinot noir or Chรขteauneuf-du-Pape? Store-bought pita chips or homemade cheddar-Gruyรจre crackers weโd read about in Martha? (Unthinkable to my current mother-of-two self, the freaking homemade crackers won out.)
When we tried to throw our first party post-kids (โHey! And bring your kids too!โ we told everyone so naively), we didnโt have the energy or the time to do any of that, and as a result, it was a disaster. Instead of ending the night with our customarily glowing postmortem, โIโm so glad we do that every year,โ we looked at our toddler-decimated house and said, โWelp! Never doing that again.โ
We took a few years off. Then, as parents are wont to do, we came back with a plan of attack, which I wrote about in the current issue of Parents magazine,ย but which can be summarized in this single philosophy: Dial it back and remember why youโre doing thisโto celebrate with the people you love mostโฆ
Head over to Parents to read allย 20 Rules for Hosting a Holiday Party With Kids,ย plus ideas for all-the-rage snack boards (above)โฆ.
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โฆ.and a killer recipe for Pomegranate Mojitos. ENJOY!
Photos: Dane Tashima for Parents.
Love that board
LOVE IT! Thank you for the motivation to finaly send out my invitation for a New Yearโs Eve Party ๐ Iโve been dreading it all along, but your part about โcommitโ! and โenlisting the villageโ got me going. Thank you Jenny!
LOVE IT! Thank you for the motivation to finally send out my invitation for a New Yearโs Eve Party ๐ Iโve been dreading it all along, but your part about โcommitโ! and โenlisting the villageโ got me going. Thank you Jenny!
I love everything about this post! Bravo. As a mom of 2 who loves to entertain, this hits the nail on the head about why we entertain in the first place. Thank you.
I loved your article about throwing parties with kidsโฆwe, too, used to throw parties pre-kid, and it hasnโt happened since. However, a couple of thing to think about for your list next time aroundโฆmost people canโt afford to hire a babysitter and throw a party, AND what if you live in a city and only have 1,000 sq ft? That makes separately the kids from the parents next to impossibleโฆso what then? Iโd love to hear ideasโฆ.thanks!