Dec 14- QotD- Do you go to or host a Christmas party?

[Julie Billingsley]

'Tis the season for Christmas parties. Whether it be with friends or a work party, I was wondering if any of you are holiday partiers?

We use to host an annual holiday party for about 80 friends when we lived in a condo that had a huge party room. It was always so much fun, but when we moved to a house we stopped hosting the party. We are pretty much homebodies these days so no holiday parties anymore for us. Even our works have given up hosting holiday parties due to the poor economy.

How about all of you? Any parties planned? And are they work or social?

[NeverendingJen]

We have DH's work christmas party tomorrow night(I've spent about 30 hrs in 3 weeks planning it and preparing for it), our church party friday night, and we're just doing something low key with our friends this weekend too.

[SweetMelissa]

We usually don't go to any holiday parties. Our church is having one for 'young married couples' but I don't think we're going to go. The Paster has 2 sons who are both married the one son's wive is very into her group of friends & nobody else. The other son & wife just moved back and she's been sticking to the other wife. I really don't want to go to a party where I won't know anyone expect the wife's and been shunned/ignored the whole night you know?

[maryinaz]

We go to multiple Christmas parties - 2 last weekend, one this coming weekend, and then we have DH's work party coming up too. I'm kind of a homebody, not a party animal, so these get to be too much for me at some point.

[LeeAndra]

I wish! I'd love to host a Christmas Open House at some point in my adult life where there are all sorts of different chilis (and corn/breads) to try and at the end collecting the hangers-on to carol around the neighborhood and distribute Christmas cookies.

No Christmas parties here. DH's work cut out Christmas parties a few years ago due to budget cuts.

[Stacey42]

We host a New Year's Eve party every year. It's DH's birthday as well.

[KimberlyMorris]

We go to DH's work party and a few family things. The work party is always a hoot, watching normally reserved people get drunk and embarrass themselves lol.

[MamaBee]

We have two work related holiday parties, but they aren't until January... however, this year, we aren't going to the radio station party... so it will be just hubby's work one... which they are suppose to still have it, but they announced volunteer layoffs to continue into next year until april... so don't know if it will be canceled or not.

[heathergw]

We have a couple open houses that we go to every year... I really want to host Christmas parties at my house but it's still in fixer-upper stage so we can't yet.

Mark's office used to have a fancy formal party at one of the museums in the city... I always loved it... but because of the economy, they had to cut it.

[jessica31876]

Not a party exactly but everyone is coming over on Christmas Eve this year and usually on Christmas day too

[jaylensmom]

My sister and I hosted a family Christmas party last Saturday for the very first time...OMG it was the first time and it was a blast...it was alot of work but so worth it...My job will have a luncheon but nothing fancy...I miss the days when I worked at companies that gave parties and you got to see everybody all dressed up...

[YepBrook]

No parties for me this year!

In the past we've consistently had at least 2 parties to attend. One with a group of our friends (many who've moved away in the past year)... we had a white elephant gift exchange and my one friend's husband is a chef and she is a wedding cake baker so the food & treats were always top-notch. I miss them! They had the best parties. The other one was my hubby's work party, however he doesn't work there now and his new company does a little party with no spouses/guests . His former job was at a TV network, so the parties were BIG in ritzy places with huge door prizes and raffles. I always enjoyed them and dressing up. They did nice parties, but they were stingy with their pay... so I'll try not to complain.

[mummytothree]

My hubby's boss (regional manager) has a party every year that we go to (for his 10 district managers plus wives and families). Some years we go and do something (ice skating, bowling, tubing) and some years we just go to their home. They always give the wives $50 dollar Visa gift cards and each of the kids get a gift. It's usually catered! It's ok....some years it's a pain because we live about an hour and 15 minutes from them (like this year when one kid has a birthday party to go to and the other has their formal Christmas dance to go to the same days).

[clearskies]

We're hosting a Christmas Day open house this year (in the evening). We did it two years ago and it was a blast. We don't have any family around, so it's nice to be social on Christmas.
Other than that, I have an ornament exchange and DH's work party. This year it's semi-formal and on a boat...I won't know a soul there, so hopefully it'll be fun!

[pewtertm]

My ladies class at church has an annual Christmas party (no men or kids invited), but I missed this year's. That's the only holiday party that I do, aside from Rachel's school party LOL

[iScrap]

One of my friends hosts the best dinner party, but they're traveling this year, so BOO to her. Now I have to go to some business party thing with my husband. lolol I hope the food is good.

[rach3975]

Probably not. But that's fine with me--I HATE having to make small talk with people I don't know well. It's even worse if the parties are for adults only, since we don't have a good babysitter or any local family.

DH's work does a holiday potluck party at the office (ie, no cost to the government) during the work day, so it's employees only.

I'm supposed to volunteer at all 3 kids' holiday parties at school, but I'm missing party #1 tomorrow due to a sick kid That probably doesn't count anyway, huh?

Our entire family was invited to one joint Christmas/Hanukkah party. The oldest child used to be friends with my oldest, but they've grown apart in the last couple years. I feel a little awkward going since we don't see them the rest of the year and don't know anyone else there, so we haven't decided about that one yet.

We'll have family here for the weekend over Christmas weekend, so we're planning to do a small family Hanukkah party then, plus Lauren's family birthday party with the same people on 12/26. But I don't think either of those is a "real" party, and they're certainly not Christmas parties. So....no. No Christmas parties for us this year.

[mrshobbes]

I don't host a party, but go to a TON once December rolls around. it's one of the reasons for holiday exhaustion, lol, but here reunions and Christmas parties are a big things, especially the former as it's the only time many people see each other in a year. Also in the publishing industry there are press Christmas parties many companies throw (with lots of chances to win stuff, yay!). One year I went to a Canon party and won a camcorder, printer, and scanner

[mariewilcox]

No, not anymore. When DH was alive we would have an open house every year and would attend a few other parties on base. Cheyanne and I do go to a cookie decorating party with a bunch of other parents and kids - does that count? LOL I work at home so no company parties.

Cheyanne and I do, however, host a New Year's Eve party. It's always 2 other moms who are divorced that I've been friends with since coming back to Maine and they each have 2 kids that Cheyanne's been friends with forever. Everyone spends the night and the kids have a blast playing games, playing outside in the snow (if we have any this year), and us moms get to visit all night and have a couple adult drinks plus all kinds of party foods to pig out on before the New Year resolutions begin

[Milmomma]

We go to our Units parties, there's usually a couple. But we don't host them. I also go to the kids school parties, does that count?

[nanienamou]

We host a family/friends party on Christmas Eve. About 20 people. We've done so in the last 5 years.

The 25th, we usually celebrate with DH's family, and the cousins take turns hosting. About 30-40 people. So some years, we host the 24th and 25th.

The 31st, DH's family rents a big hall and we have a party there for New Years Eve.

That's about it. We don't got to DH's work party because we don't really hang out with them and it's quite "clicky".

[KateD]

We usually attend two parties in December - one that our friends host and one with our Sunday School class. Unfortunately, this year they're being held at the same time, so we'll only be going to one this year. We choose to stay home on New Year's and celebrate as a family.

[nesser1981]

DH has a huge family, so we go to 2 different family Christmas parties usually, not this year because of Keira's risk for infection.

My MIL & I host a cookie exchange, we started it the year I got out of the Air Force.

And this year a new friend & I hosted a Gingerbread House Decorating Party for some of Keira's classmates. We did it at her house, she has twins that are in Keira's class. It was so much fun, we had 15 kids there. I think it'll be an annual event.

I wish my home was large enough to host Christmas parties.

[Sarah8914]

We used to host a little party with 4-6 families. We loved it. This year has been WAY too busy, and we're feeling pretty cramped. I'm not sure we'll do it again--at least not until we're in a bigger house. I miss it already though.

We go to one at church every year. This year, we were in charge of decorations. Usually there are 130-150 people there.

My husband's company has an adult thing (just at a restaurant) and a little kid one (during the day at the office). We've never been to the adult one. We almost went this year, but I was sick. We always go to the kid one because Santa comes. It's very low key but it's something we always look forward to!

[lovely1m]

My work has one every year, but I rarely go. Out of 14 Christmases, I have gone to 3. Sad, I know. lol I don't have any friends that host one or anything and I live in an apartment.

[Penny Springmann]

I need a YES option!
I planned Paul's office party, but it was out so it was pretty easy.
Tonight we are doing a progressive dinner with a few other couples.
Saturday is our neighbor's open house, and then we will probably have a few other families over for cookies and hot chocolate Sunday or Monday night.