We are now less than a week away from Christmas!  Most of us are in the midst of holiday parties for work and friends and will play with our families over the coming weekend.  

 We are expecting our first baby in a month, so we aren't hosting anything ourselves this year but I wanted to give you a few ideas for unique holiday events:

• Tea Time - ladies and little ladies love a girly get-together.  Schedule for a Sunday afternoon, make hot tea, cocoa, coffee and spread out all those sweet goodies.  The key to making this special: real teacups, napkins and all your favorite serving dishes!
• Breakfast/Brunch - you all know I adore breakfast!  So make it easy and festive with cinnamon rolls, an egg dish, mimosas, coffee, and a citrus fruit salad.  Set a bright and fun table, feed your guests then send them on their way to do more shopping (or partying).  I used to host a brunch with girlfriends on Christmas Eve morning....that was the only time we had after work parties and before family events....it was a great start to the festivities!
• Open House -  We went to an open house last weekend and it was great, the hosts knew everyone had multiple parties to attend so they had a tasty light spread, open door policy and simple drinks.  Keep this simple, an email invite works and encourage guests to bring their kids!
• Dessert & Drinks - a fun party to schedule after a Christmas Eve service.  Everyone has had their dinner but are energized after the carols and togetherness of a candlelit service.  Invite them back for champagne and dessert....a cake and some cookies are perfect.  Make it casual so guests with kids can leave to put them to bed before Santa makes his deliveries!

My lovely friends and adopted family hosted a shower in honor of 'Baby G' last Sunday....oh it was so wonderful and thoughtful.  Those ladies planned everything and literally made my husband chauffeur me there!  Here are some of the memories!  And yes, that was a baby pram made out of diapers made by an adopted Nana!

So we've just rounded the 6 month mark with Baby G and my friends and family are gung-ho on the shower planning. I must say, as the planner for most celebrations and fetes it's been hard to sit still and let the planning commence without me.  What's harder though is allowing myself to be the guest-of-honor....something I haven't had to do in 8 years since our wedding.  It's odd, I just don't want a big to-do with lots of people and presents.  So I got to thinking, there must be other brides and mothers-to-be out there that feel the same way, who would much rather spend time with their favorite people than with the games/food/gifts.  So here is a list of shower alternatives specific to Charlotte:

• The Wine Palette in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. It is a fabulous way to spend a fun-filled evening by creating your own original masterpiece painting (led by an instructor so no worries if you are a beginner or a professional) and the best part is you get to bring in your own wine/beer and/or food. Cost is $35 per person, but they are offering $5 off per person for Graceful Hosts out there (enter ClipArt online or call/email to book).
  

Nothing beats a refreshing beverage on a fiery summer afternoon!

Right now I am sincerely loving the simplicity of making fruit flavored and/or infused ice cubes to add a little Zing! to those average summer cocktails....

How about Pomegranate Ice cubes thrown into a fresh Vodka- Lemonade?  
 
 At the moment I am sipping on some crisp cold club soda, and I'm thinking to myself what could be nicer than gorgeous plump summer Blackberries frozen into ice cubes and mixing it up with some fresh mint leaves?  Yum!!! 

Everyone knows about adding  a dash of Chambord to a sparkling Prosecco or a bubbly Spanish Cava, but I'm thinking to add a more exciting Pop to your punch, scoot over to your local fruit stand and grab some fresh Raspberries or delicious Black Cherries and freeze those babies up to add color and excitement to your next bubbly adventure.

Or how about throwing some ripe summer Peach and Mango ice cubes into your standard Sweet Tea or Arnold Palmer??  Turn on some Zac Brown Band and hit the front porch!

I'm also in love with the idea of using up this morning's leftover coffee and adding coffee ice cubes to a Kahlúa or Baileys for an after dinner night cap! 
Maybe stick with the decaf though...

All this talk is making me thirsty.
It's 5 o'clock somewhere! :)

Cheers!
Michaila

Isn't this the cutest rehearsal dinner ever??  This smart couple booked the Pavilion at Latta Park in Dilworth.  Most of their guests had young kids, so the kids were able to play and the adults enjoyed a fabulous dinner (catered by Delectables by Holly!)  We helped the MOG with the decor and color scheme!

With the addition of cake and cupcake shows on several television networks the baked dessert that was always soon forgotten during a wedding celebration is now coming back into vogue.

The best part is that brides have soooo many options for dessert at their reception.  Some of our brides are opting for the classic multi-tier cake in a variety of flavors.  Others are doing a small cake for cutting and then offering 6 flavors of cupcakes as the end of dinner nibble.  And there are a few of our brides that say "forget cake, bring on the desserts!"  These brides are offering a vast array of goodies (some family recipes) and hope their guests come back for more as the night goes on!

Whatever your preference for dessert think about how you want to cap the end of the meal....if you are serving a traditional plated dinner then maybe shake things up with a fun dessert bar to get people moving around again.  Or did you opt for a heavy hors d'oeuvres menu?  Then why not go traditional with a huge cake + cake cutting ceremony!  No matter what you can't go wrong with the sweets!