Our next door neighbors threw a last Christmas dinner for those of us who live on our cul-de-sac and invited our daughter, Ashley & the boys as well. To begin, they had gifts for Ashton and Dylan. They owned a catering business for years, and so they'd decorated a long table with "visions of sugarplums", beads, ornaments, candles and tiered plates of fruits and candy. And to think I'd thought we'd left the last trappings of Christmas back in Boston! They served a buffet of standing rib roast, chicken scallopini, skewered shrimp with vegetables, pasta, potatoes, salads, and served sliced fruits, amazing cookies and cream puffs with coffee for dessert. We celebrated Christmas, New Year's, and they had a cake and gifts for another neighbor whose birthday was January 1st! We had a slice of that, too, and it was truly an amazing cake; I have no idea where they found it! When Ashley & the boys had to leave to drive back home for the first time in a month since evacuating the fires, Nick and Tina gave them bags and told them to take all the candies with them...you should have seen their eyes!!! Tina told me they'd hosted no less than 7 dinner parties (some with up to 30 people!) in their home over the holidays and this one was the last.
Everyone wants to have another dinner in February as we have two more birthdays to celebrate...and Valentine's Day as well! I'd like to host it, but what can I possibly do for an encore?!!!
Such a lovely portrait of you and Ken! What a fabulous meal - wow they sure know how to entertain - you must have been spoilt for choice! I agree though that the Nova Scotia lobster dinner would top it! Once tasted freshly cooked and dipped in that melted butter never forgotten! Lol! Fav - good to see you both looking so well!
@koalagardens I put as bit of everything on my plate so I could photograph it all in one place! We chatted and lingered, and I was amazed that I ate it all! And when I saw a photo Ken took of me from behind, I knew at once that I had to stop doing that!!!
@pamknowler Thanks, Pam...I liked the photo Nick took of us, and it seemed impossible to choose one picture of the food and decorations! They first time they put on a spread like that for us, we were all dumb struck! Now we realize it's "what they do"! We feel very spoiled...no previous neighbours ever did anything like that for us!!! Thank heaven they like my photography, so it becomes my thank you gift...and I'm thinking a book might be in order this time!
Oh my what generous wonderful friends. Enjoying their love of entertaining has to be so great. Sweet memories for everyone I’m sure! Love this photo, their home is out of this world I can tell. Fav!
Don't try to compete - your own personal style should be your guide and your warm nature will pull off a delightful event. Try something completely different, something they wouldn't expect - adults love to have a chance to act goofy and childlike.
if you can't bring the people to the lobster, let the lobsters come to california! 😊 a few years back it got so cold in the Maritimes that the lobsters decided to leave the waters and they were all over the streets of prince Edward island!
this will make a really awesome holiday card for next Christmas! perfect!
@elkereturns Ahhh, Elke, the voice of sensibility and reason! Of course I wouldn't try to do it as they do, and after all my years now in Lunenburg, I've got a pretty good handle on entertaining! It's the Maritime way, after all (perhaps second only to the folks in Newfoundland!)
@summerfield Wow, really?! Imagine stepping out the door and literally "picking up dinner"!!! We were amazed the first time this couple had a dinner like that for our little neighbourhood, and perhaps even more so that they did it again! (They kept telling us how happy they were that we're back in town for the winter!)
@casablanca Thank you! We're a Corvette family, and I was so tickled when I found that shirt for him; he saves it for special occasions!
@jamibann We friends were treated that way...and then he took my camera and asked to take our picture! It would seem he wanted to save the beauty of that tree in a photo! (We got some nice group photos as well, but much of the tree was covered!)
@will_wooderson It's not beyond the realm of possibility that I could set up a small tree in my dining room and cover it with Valentine hearts! Sort of a Transitional-traditional tree!
@pamknowler Thanks, Pam...I liked the photo Nick took of us, and it seemed impossible to choose one picture of the food and decorations! They first time they put on a spread like that for us, we were all dumb struck! Now we realize it's "what they do"! We feel very spoiled...no previous neighbours ever did anything like that for us!!! Thank heaven they like my photography, so it becomes my thank you gift...and I'm thinking a book might be in order this time!
Wonderful Christmas portrait.
this will make a really awesome holiday card for next Christmas! perfect!
@summerfield Wow, really?! Imagine stepping out the door and literally "picking up dinner"!!! We were amazed the first time this couple had a dinner like that for our little neighbourhood, and perhaps even more so that they did it again! (They kept telling us how happy they were that we're back in town for the winter!)
@casablanca Thank you! We're a Corvette family, and I was so tickled when I found that shirt for him; he saves it for special occasions!
@will_wooderson It's not beyond the realm of possibility that I could set up a small tree in my dining room and cover it with Valentine hearts! Sort of a Transitional-traditional tree!
Happy New Year to the both of you!