Friendsgiving 2015

We have been doing a neighborhood potluck during the week of Thanksgiving for 14 years now. However, for the first time in 15 years, we live in a new neighborhood. And we don’t have as many friends in our new neighborhood. We had a really tight crew in our previous hood, but we are still getting to know people since moving in May. The kids love this tradition, so we decided we would still invite our old neighbors. And then some parents of their friends. And some friends from Beer and Hymns. And, well . . . the invite list grew large. So it sort of worked out that we still haven’t furnished our living room, because I ended up needing to rent several banquet tables to seat everyone. I love doing potlucks because it’s an affordable way to have a large gathering without cooking all day. Our tradition is that we provide a ham and everyone else brings a side dish or dessert. In an effort to keep the kids occupied I set out some pages from a Christmas-themed adult coloring book. It was perfect. They are elaborate so it kept them entertained and a lot of the adults did them, too. At the end of the party we had a bit of a sing-along, as parties often end at our house. They did some carols and then somehow evolved (devolved) into Keith Green. It was a fun night, and really nice to entertain in our new home for the first time.