christmas party planning: the kid zone

There are moments (sometimes entire days) where I wish I could whisk myself back to those blissfully uncomplicated child-free days (the ones where, if I wanted, I could spend an entire day in bed reading a book or watching the HGTV Design Star marathon), where my Christmas parties were the toast of the town, sophisticated soirees full of glamorous guests, witty conversation, and killer cocktails.  Okay, so aside from the killer cocktails, maybe none of that actually happened.   My point is that it could have.

But not anymore.

The biggest surprise of parenthood for me has been how much kids change the dynamic of your social relationships.  Parents of small children seem to naturally gravitate towards each other in the same way that non-parents of small children naturally seem to run the other way.

So there will be kids at our party.  Lots of them.  Hence the need for the kid zones.  Because the more entertained the kids are, the more fun the parents will be able to have (which is the whole point.)

To set up the craft zone, I first covered our table with brown kraft paper, then gathered a variety of supplies I already had on hand--scissors, glue, construction paper, blank cards, old Christmas cards, pom poms, markers, etc.  A few weeks ago I picked up some Christmas craft supplies on sale at JoAnn's for 60% off, so I included those on the tables as well.  To make it festive, I arranged the supplies in some Christmas boxes and clear plastic paint baskets I had leftover from Princess' birthday party.  Since the theme of the party is "Candy Canes, Cocktails, & Christmas Classics," Princess and I made Candy Cane Reindeer party favors for all the kids using pipe cleaners and pom poms (found in our craft cupboard.) 

I spent approximately $23 on foam stickers, craft packs, candy canes, & unfinished ornaments at JoAnn's.  All the other supplies came from things I already had on hand.

Stay tuned for more party planning progress!

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