Christmas 2019: A Monte Carlo Theme

I started thinking about Christmas around September and settled on a Monte Carlo theme even before there was a reunion in Las Vegas.  The more I thought about it, the more fun it sounded,  I had thought our Mardi Gras Christmas was the biggest doo–dah, but no–oo*.  Retirement allows for time to indulge our inner 'Martha Stewart'.  We never would have done this in our working days.  

 I'm very good about coming up with ideas that someone else has to implement. That usually falls to Earl.  
Mediterranean food?  He can do that
Décor?  Pam can do that
The Tree?  Jill can do that
The Christmas Village?  The granddaughters can do that
Gaming table layout? Earl can do that
Moving the furniture? Earl and JJ can do that 
Hire party help? I can do that.  Jeez, I needed to do something.
The first issue that came up was, of course, the Christmas tree**.  "How about something smaller?", Earl said. Nope, I couldn't do that. I did however compromise and move it to the living room so we had more room in the family room.  "How about fewer lights and ornaments?", Earl suggested. Nope, I couldn't do that.  Jill, the tree elf, did her usual magic.



 "How about not putting up the Christmas Village?" Earl said. Nope, I couldn't do that.  I think he just gave up dealing with the Christmas Dictator** reputation that I worked so hard to earn. 




After the Christmas tree, the next step step is welcoming Pam, the décor elf.***  I did my usual here's the theme (games, cards, fun) and then got out of the way. "You know where to find me if you need me", I said.  She didn't.  It always works out best that way.



Then, the hard part came.  Earl had to decide what games went to where, on what surface, and did we have everything we needed.  The poker table went in the living room in the reflection of the Christmas tree.  The dining room table would become the craps table.  Darts would go in the kids area, and finally, blackjack would be played on the dinette table.  Then we had to figure out the logistics of fast transitioning from gaming to dining.  We had already decided to hire party help, but this rapid turnover requirement really clinched it.
It really is about the food during the holidays. Earl was a great architect and planner, but I didn't want him to do all the cooking.  Burnout can be such a bitch.  A Mediterranean themed cuisine was full of possibilities. A little French, a little Italian, and a little Greek made for a terrific menu.






The Lesson:  It was fun and our usual big holiday event, but I'm committed to being done with "Over the Top" celebrations. Maybe...

 *Previous post:  Christmas in Excess
**Previous post: The Holiday Dictator
***Previous post:  The Holiday Elves

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 5, 2020 at 5:56 PM

    You are so creative. What a great idea, a themed christmas. We just have christmas, quiet, a glass of wine, stockings and overnight French toast for breakfast

    ReplyDelete

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