During the holiday season, there’s nothing better than getting together with friends to laugh, chat, eat good food and let the kids play! But the weekends get hectic and it’s often hard to find a time to get everyone together. So this year I opted for a Mom & Baby Friendsgiving, scheduled on a week day and around nap time! It’s the perfect spin on a mid-week play date leading up to Thanksgiving… and it doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming to put together. Here’s how I did it!
The Invite
I started with an online invite because they’re pretty, FREE and are a little more exciting to me than just sending a text. Minted is my absolute favorite place to go for online invitations! Here’s the one I used.
The Menu
Like you, I don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. For an appetizer, I grabbed some spinach dip from Stew Leonard’s and cut up some veggies. For the main course, I went to my favorite Stamford market, LaRocca’s Country Market and headed to the deli counter where I found the most delicious chicken stuffed with apple and peach stuffing. Once I got home, all I had to do was pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes and it was done! (It’s honestly so simple and delicious that I got a second chicken to have fore dinner another day this week). I put a medley of diced, seasoned root veggies in the oven, on a separate pan for about the same amount of time. When both were done, I cut up the chicken and spread the veggies around it. A friend brought her amazing corn casserole and we had the perfect amount of festive food, that didn’t leave everyone feeling stuffed to the brim! The other bonus to the meal is that it was something the kids (all under 2 years old) could eat, too!
And who can forget dessert? Andrena at Crazy Confections made us the most amazing and festive Thanksgiving cookies, which everyone LOVED… kids and husbands included since I was able to send everyone home with a couple!!
The Decor
I kept my fall decor simple this year! Mostly little white pumpkins that have lasted since the beginning of September and go with the rest of the white and blue decor in our house. For the get together, I wanted a pretty tablescape that went beyond the paper plates we usually eat off of to keep the mess minimal and to keep things from breaking. It was a casual get together but a celebration, too. So I wanted to really treat my friends. I used my favorite blue table cloth, jute chargers for texture and cloth napkins (because that totally makes it feel like you’re at a restaurant, right?), plus the cute little ceramic turkey my mom bought me years ago as a centerpiece.
As for the dinnerware, I like mixing patterns to keep things both festive and unique. So I paired Juliska Colette Delft Blue Dinner Plates with Juliska Country Estate Autumn Traditions Harvest Party Plates, to add a pop of fall and served everything out of the Juliska Sitio Stripe Serving Platters. I have to say, I’m obsessed with how the combo came out!
The Entertainment
I wanted to make sure the kids had fun, too! So I grabbed some crayons and printed out a few turkey coloring pages. I also broke out the amazing tunnel/tent combo my son got for his birthday and turned the family room into a play area!
The Spirit of Giving
I wanted to use this get together as a way for all of us to give back. So, I asked everyone to bring a box of diapers to donate to The Salvation Army Stamford Diaper Bank. It was an easy way for each of us to give a little something that will go a long way for a local family in need this holiday season.
If you’re interested in finding a way for your friends and family to give this holiday season, we have a list of ideas for you!
So, Mom & Baby Friendsgiving really did give all of us a chance to connect, laugh, play and do a little something to give back… while also making sure nap time was on schedule!
Thank you to Juliska for the beautiful dinnerware & Crazy Confections for the amazing cookies!