Do you ever feel like you’ve decorated the entire house for the holidays and maybe just a few people stumble in to appreciate it? That was my feeling over 20 years ago when I came up with the idea of the a neighborhood progressive Christmas party.
We would spend so much time decorating the house for the holidays and no one really saw the decorations outside of myself, husband, children, and my parents when they stopped by. On the flip side, I wasn’t really making an effort to get out and appreciate anyone else’s decorations either.
Thumbing through a glossy magazine and looking at the professionally decorated homes for ideas, I realized this was madness. Why would I pay good money for a magazine to look at the decor of complete strangers. I wasn’t even taking the time to look at the efforts that my friends and neighbors put into their displays. Surely they had some great decorating ideas as well.
It was out of this that our neighborhood progressive Christmas dinner was born.
A Tight Knit Community
When we moved in to our community, our neighborhood was still under construction. We met all of our neighbors during the building process and that provided ready made talking points. The joys and frustrations of the building process were discussed along with move-in dates, option choices, and more. We were all within about a 15 year age window and at about the same point in life. We were all married, had careers, and all had young kids or were about to.
This created a bond that was further strengthened watching our kids play outside in the summer or over field trips to local museums. But other than sending our kids door to door with fresh baked cookies, we really didn’t spend time together during the busy holiday season.
It was decided that we would launch our First Annual Neighborhood Progressive Christmas Dinner Party. Later, given that the title was too long and that we weren’t really into titles, it was shortened to “the neighborhood party.”
First Annual Neighborhood Progressive Christmas Party
We had seven households participating that initial year and we came up with an ambitious schedule of visiting each house with a little nosh at each one. It’s been years and I don’t remember the food stops but believe it went something like this:
House 1 – drinks and hot cocoa bar
House 2 – cold appetizers
House 3 – cold appetizers
House 4 – hot appetizers
House 5 – hot appetizers
House 6 – main course
House 7 – desserts
It was great fun and we agreed to do it again the next year with a few adjustments. Jumping from house to house that many times took away from the kids’ playtime and added a busyness that we didn’t want to repeat.
Adapt and Grow Your Party
We eventually lost one of the homes on the tour to a move out, so our list was pared down to just six. We decided to visit three houses annually and rotate so that each family would host every other year. On the off year, the families would take two dishes to one of the other houses. This way we were all contributing food, but had a more peaceful evening with fewer stops.
The party also evolved to include a Secret Santa gift exchange for the kids and eventually one of the gentlemen in the neighborhood stepped up to play Santa. Each parent would furnish a wrapped gift to Santa. The kids would tell Santa their Christmas wishes, parents would snap a few photos and he would redistribute the gifts.
One Christmas this mom completely forgot about the Santa gift. I quickly grabbed something small that I had wrapped and passed it to Santa. Imagine how happy my then four-year-olds were to unwrap a pair of socks while their neighborhood friends all unwrapped toys! They still remember the year that Santa gave them socks for Christmas! Not all parenting moments are winners.
Our final party schedule looked a little like this:
House 1 – drinks, hot cocoa and appetizers
House 2 – main course or dinner foods, Santa visit
House 3 – desserts, Secret Santa exchange, draw Secret Santas for next year
A Much Anticipated Holiday Tradition
The neighborhood party quickly became one of the most anticipated events of the season and was a great way to reconnect with our neighbors during the cold weather months. It was nice to get out and see decorations and it was nice to have others over to admire our hard work at decorating the house.
Eventually, as the kids became involved in sports, school, and work schedules, we had to put the party on pause. We plan to bring it out and dust it off again when all the kids have graduated. It will be a nice way to stay updated with the kids as they come back from college or even with kids of their own.
Your Neighborhood Progressive Christmas Dinner
Your neighborhood might not look like ours. Perhaps there’s a variety of ages and you just don’t mesh well enough to throw together such a party. Maybe you live in the country, as I did growing up, and there’s no real neighborhood to speak of.
You could do the same thing with your family or church family. Maybe you are close with co-workers and this would be a great way to connect. Perhaps you volunteer for the local firehouse ladies auxiliary and this could be your holiday get together. Steal the idea, make it yours and add to your merry this Christmas.
COVID Progressive Party
While the progressive party is a great idea most years, you might need to adapt a little for our current pandemic situation. As you know, we shouldn’t be gathering in large groups, especially in an indoor setting. How could we adapt this tradition for 2020?
You could take it outside. Obviously, given Ohio weather, this would be a shortened version of the party. But you could take an evening and do a walk to each house. Bring some hot cocoa, admire the decorations, and maybe sing some Christmas songs together. It is the spirit of the gathering, not the length, that’s important after all.
You could limit it those already in your family bubble. Though group gatherings are banned, you may have one or two households already in your quarantine bubble. For instance, if your mother already watches your children and you are at her house every day, this type of event would not add additional exposure. You could enjoy a meal at your house and convene to her home for dessert and a Christmas movie with the kids.
Virtual Holiday Party
Oh, I know, none of us want one more virtual thing this year. But you could make this special. Don’t just show up in your pjs, TV blaring in the background.
Get dressed for a party! Make sure all the Christmas lights are on, light the candles and have one family be in charge of some soft Christmas music in the background.
Take turns walking around the house to show off your beautiful decorations. If you have a special story about an ornament or decoration, share that with the party.
Prepare some of your favorite foods and desserts and plan for an evening together. If you’d like to still do a gift exchange, you can ship them to each other’s house ahead of time, and open them together on camera.
Making the Best of These Trying Times
This year is difficult, everyone knows that. But it doesn’t mean we have to completely forgo the joy of the season. Now is a great time to reinforce old traditions and to put together some new ones.
You can still have a great progressive party. And now, you can include neighbors who have moved away. Or you can have a progressive party with your family living in other states. How long has it been since you connected with your old college friends? That would make an amazing Christmas party!
Use your imagination and see what new traditions you can put in place. Your kids and grandkids will remember the love and care that you put into the holiday, not the limitations imposed upon us from this virus. Let your creativity make this a magical holiday for you and your family.
Secret Santa All Year
For the kids, one of the most exciting events of the evening was the exchange of Secret Santa gifts. Our Secret Santa was an all year proposition, with the children drawing names and then sneaking little gifts to each other on special occasions throughout the year. They anxiously awaited the opportunity to guess their secret benefactor, receive their final gift and finally, have their Secret Santa revealed. Click through to our Secret Santa article to find out how we ran this one-of-a-kind gift exchange.
More Holiday Ideas from FindingOhio
If you’re looking for holiday ideas, we’ve got them here at FindingOhio! We are doing reviews on Christmas lights and came up with a great article on free Christmas displays in the Columbus area. We have an easy craft project for all ages, making Christmas ornaments. And if you’re looking for a great appetizer, try my mom’s favorite holiday cheese ball.
If you haven’t already, check out Ohio’s official tourism site. You’ll find ideas for unique gift items, shopping local, and even some homemade gift ideas. Click through the holidays link for a look at Christmas in Ohio.
Thank you for FindingOhio with us. Though these are trying times, we are still in the midst of a beautiful and joyous season. And, as always, we appreciate you sharing our content on social media.
