The house that Party built.

Seems we have a lot of parties. Of course, when I met my hubby his nickname was Party Boy. And people did start calling me Mrs. Boy when we got married. We have mellowed substantially since then. Hubby even had his nickname officially revoked when he refused to participate in a few events, prefering instead to hang out at home.

But the parties we host have increased with time. It comes with the territory. Literally. Living downtown makes our home a natural gathering spot. Halloween? Let's go to the Somebody's house! Mardi Gras? The Somebody's must be doing something! Christmas Eve. Hey, I bet the Somebody's are staying in town since their parents are gonna be around. Let's go over there for drinks and funny Christmas music, I bet everyone will be there! There have been some times when I didn't even know I was having a party until the phone started ringing with people asking what to bring and when to arrive. And it's always a grand time full of frivolity and laughter. I'm glad we have such good friends to keep our butts in gear.

So, if you know me well enough to know where I live, come over before the Christmas Parade. I have just learned that everybody is meeting at our house before the parade since we live so close to the parade route. Those in the bike group will bring their bikes and finish decorating them in our yard. Those not in the parade will drink hot chocolate (and, umm, perhaps peppermint schnapps) and wander down to watch the excitement.

The parade takes a really long time, what with the laggy Scouts and errant wiener dogs and such. The bike group is usually one of the highlights. Scads of silly people riding silly bikes in silly costumes honking silly horns and acting, well, silly. The theme for the parade is Jingle Bell Rock. My husband's bike will be towing a trailer. On the trailer will be our son playing his drum set. I'm not sure what I'll do. Sometimes I decorate my bike and ride, sometimes I take on the role of photographer. Regardless, I inevitably find myself thinking, "Wow, it always seems so much more fun when I'm looking back on it, but damn, this thing is taking forever and I really have to pee." And then we get home and I pee and eat cookies and laugh about how lame that funny little parade is and suddenly all is well and we can't wait to see the pictures.