HAVE A PARTY!
“What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering than the family and the gathering?” —Robert Breault
In June of this year, my husband John and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary, and we were determined to have a family gathering and a celebratory party. After all, we’d had a big gathering for our wedding, and then again for our 10th and 20th anniversaries.
This year it was special because we had some of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the family there. My father—who’s turning 87 in December—represented the Tosi family, and we also had Virginia Sasso (88) and John Sasso (83) representing the Sassos. Three out of the 4 grandparents were present and in good health. We also were blessed to have Auntie Debbie, who is 92 years old and doing well. The sisters Virginia and Debbie both look great and are in good health. And our brother Stephen came all the way from Seattle; that was a special treat, and everyone enjoyed his visit.
Recipe for a successful party (4 steps):
- Invite good people
- Have lots of good Italian food – eggplant, chicken broccoli ziti, stuffed shells and a huge antipasto sala
- A variety of good beverages, including good white and red wine
- A plethora of delicious desserts: from fruit to cake, to a variety of pies, to cheesecake
It goes without saying that these steps for success don’t get done by themselves. It’s only going to happen if you have a few helpers assisting you—from the initial planning all the way through to the joy of an unforgettable family gathering. And this year, we were very pleased that among our helpers was our son John Robert. Now that he’s 15 years old, he was an equal partner in helping us prepare for the party.
And what a party it was! There we were, all enjoying music from the 1980’s playing, as we sat outside under tents. Almost 70 of us were able to dine together. That was special! My mother-in-law, who is a bit of an introvert, got up and made a speech; my brother Bob said grace before the meal. Both of those moments will remain with me forever as special memories. I also thanked everyone for coming and for making this celebration and this day so special.
It was really nice getting everyone together for a positive occasion. With Covid preventing any kind of socializing for so long, plus my mom’s death in August of 2020, we had not really had a chance to get the family together. Our anniversary was a perfect opportunity for a gathering. We missed my mom, but she was with us in spirit.
Remember that it is a special gift to be able to have a party like we did. God was good to us that day: a perfect sunny day in the 70’s. Everybody had a good time and enjoyed each other’s company, and we captured it all with many photos.
If Covid has stopped you from having parties and/or going to them, hopefully the tide is finally changing, and you can also enjoy holiday parties and gatherings in the upcoming months. You can finally feel good about having people over.
As always, if you need my services and/or my advice you can also book time for a mini-consult.
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