The holiday season has started. This weekend, I’m looking forward to a Christmas dinner with our “bubble” of friends and an annual trip to the SOWA Winter Festival with my friend Zoe.
Have a wonderful weekend!
One of the articles that I’ve included below got me thinking about the some of the alternatives to traditional dinner parties. When I was a child, we had Progressive dinners in my neighborhood. We’d move from one house to the next, having a course at each home. It was so much fun!
We also had pie socials. They weren’t really dinner, but there were light snacks to go along with a lot of pies made by attendees. These were typically held in a church basement or Grange Hall and I believe that there was a fund raising aspect to them. Pies would be raffled off, with the proceeds going to a designated cause. I remember there would be a circular trail drawn in chalk on the floor, with numbered spots. Music would play and when it stopped, you stayed in your numbered spot. A number was drawn and the winner took home a pie. It was always a good time.
Moving forward into my adulthood, wine tasting dinners are always fun. There is usually a wine theme and the chance to learn a little about a group of wines or a type of wine. Food options range from appetizers to multiple course meals that are meant to pair well with the wines.
In this weekend’s post, I’m including the article that kicked off this train of thought. I also included a couple of posts about planning these gatherings.
- Why The Supper Series Is Making a Strong Comeback — I’d love to try dinner at Dept of Culture. (Coveteur)
- How to Throw a Progressive Dinner Party — This makes a great street or neighborhood evening. (HowStuffWorks)
- How to Host an Old Fashioned Pie Social — Here’s a pie social celebrating a wedding, with lots of tips. (Simple Bites)
- How to Host a Friendsgiving Pie Party — This was a pie-making party. Hopefully they ate some too! (The Party Teacher)
- 7 Wine-Tasting Menu and Party Ideas — Ideas for different types of wine tastings. (Better Homes & Gardens)
Moving on to other subjects…
- Giving for the Holidays — If you’re looking for ideas for making donations or looking for gifts that have a “give back” approach, you might find something here. (Sea Salt and Sailor Stripes)
- My friend Kim brought In Blue to my attention. It’s a women-owned company in Asheville, N.C. that makes leather and waxed canvas bags (as well as other items). For every bag purchased, they donate to Feeding America, enabling that organization to provide 50 meals to people in need. (In Blue)
- Goodness: He was harassed for the Black Santa on his lawn. Now, he’s a professional Black Santa. — People are finally getting a Santa that represents them. (The Washington Post)
About the photo: A neighborhood tree decorated for the holidays.