Party Planning

Swaps are all the rage these days. Most of us have been to card swaps, or clothing swaps, which are a lot of fun. But what about a Christmas decoration swap?? I'm sure these are already happening across the country, but I came up with the idea totally on my own yesterday. I love reinventing the wheel. :)

Everyone has decorations they don't need or want anymore for a million different reasons - the things are is too small/large/the wrong color scheme for their current home, they want to eliminate clutter, they want a more mature or kid-friendly look, etc. So get together with a bunch of friends (the more the better), bring all your unwanted decor, dishes, and serving pieces, and go crazy sorting through each other's stuff! And have plenty of coffee, hot chocolate, and treats while you're at it. I think it would be great to have this party the weekend after Thanksgiving. It would ease everyone into the Christmas spirit, and it's in that crucial pocket of holiday time before people become excessively busy. Too bad I thought of it too late.

On another party-related note, I've wanted to have a casual New Year's Day brunch ever since I saw The Neelys plan one a year ago. I have an Evite all prepared and know I need to send it SOON - I'm just afraid I won't be able to manage a brunch for a small crowd (I'll have to borrow a lot of Crock-Pots). I also don't know how many people would actually come, or whether my friends would secretly resent me for asking them to get out of bed before noon on New Year's Day. Stress!