Be a Gatherer

intent on the movie, or maybe the cocoa

I love to have friends over to our home.  It makes me so happy to host folks I love and gather my friends together.  And I think I passed that trait on to Flannery, because when I mentioned the idea of having a small "Christmas movie party" to her, she couldn't wait to invite all of her little friends from school.  Unfortunately, our house is not big enough to hold her whole class, so we had to settle for inviting 6 little girls over.  Flanna kept calling it a "girls' night," and when Robi came home from work mid-way through the movie, the guests all gasped--"But he's not a girl!!  It's a girls' night!"  (We did let him stay, though, hah!)

The girls wore their pajamas, had pizza, cocoa, and cookies, and watched a Christmas movie together.  But the big hit of the night was definitely the Barbie house upstairs in Flanna's room, and of course, the life-sized pink stuffed horse named Strawberry.

I managed to wrangle them into one location long enough to snap a few group photos.  Hopefully one day when they're grown up, they can look back at their kindergarten selves and smile.

As for parties, this one was relatively simple to throw, and I'm hoping to make it a new Christmas tradition.  Plus, I'm not ready for hosting little girl sleepovers yet, so this was a good start and a taste of what's to come (many years down the line, right?  Did I mention I'm not ready for that?)

Flanna and her good friend checking out the ornaments

playing Barbies

Strawberry horse

What simple gatherings with friends do you love to host?  I love pot-lucks, outdoor cook-outs, and game nights or poker nights.  Such relaxed fun!  (Now I just need a maid to keep my house party-ready so I can entertain more!)