The Great Ornament Exchange

Every year Larry and I host our annual ornament exchange party. It’s always a lot of fun. The concept is similar to a “white elephant” party, but instead of bringing gag gifts, that are often in poor taste and insulting (in my humble opinion), I have everyone who wishes to participate, bring a wrapped ornament instead. Then we can swap and “steal” to our heart’s content. The more “stealing” that takes place, the more fun the game and the party is. This is the only instance where I actively encourage a lot of “stealing”. We have been hosting this party for years and have no plans on stopping anytime soon. We had a houseful once again this year, with about 40+ guests in attendance. And yes, it was a fun, fun party. 🙂

I make my party a potluck party, where people can bring any kind of dish they want to bring to share with everyone else. Again, there is always so much food that this too is optional. Larry likes me to make main dishes since most people tend to bring either salads, appetizers or desserts because they are more easily transportable than main dishes. This year I made some green chili, that I served both as green chili on its own and then I made into some green chili pies. Colorado Green Chili

As usual when I host a party, I get very busy and don’t often take as many pictures as I intend to, but you get the drift. Both were a big hit.

I also made some turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey from the night before. This too received rave reviews from everyone. Turkey tetrazzini is a turkey and pasta casserole with a breadcrumb and Parmigiano cheese topping that is baked in the oven.

I also provided a baked brie topped with cranberries, figs and dates that I served with crostini slices. That was another big hit as well. Everything disappeared very quickly. These are just the dishes I provided. We had lots and lots of other delectable dishes that our guests brought that were also gobbled up quickly. Needless to say, NO ONE went home hungry. 🙂

These are some of the desserts on the table for everyone to enjoy. I always have lots of goodies around for everyone to enjoy too.

Karen was taking pictures of the day’s events, so these pictures are courtesy of Karen. I was busy playing hostess and didn’t see the pictures until after the party. 🙂

This is my favorite neighbor, Luke. He was a big help when it came time to start the game.

Let the games and the “stealing” begin. 🙂

As you can see, everyone was smiling and having a great time. We had plenty of good food and good times. 🙂

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.