I got this new game called Ransom Notes for my birthday that I was dying to play because it looked like it would be hysterical. The box said 3-6 players and I had just the friend group in mind who’d be sure to make it a hoot. I sent out a text, a couple of weeks ago, and gave a few dates for them to check and see if they were available. A minimum of two weeks is about how far ahead you have to start to find a night everyone is going to be free. We’re all so ridiculously busy that it’s a monumental task to assemble a group of more than two without a lot of back and forth on dates. We all agreed on a day and I asked everyone to put dinner and a game at my house on their calendars.

I’d told them ahead of time that this would be a comfortable and casual affair- as in leggings, shorts, t-shirts. Nobody wants to sit around on a Friday night in clothes that don’t give to the pressures induced by a large meal. The night came and they all started arriving. I greeted them at the door in my spandex and comfy shoes. I’d also prepared them that we’d be eating on disposable plates and having food that required minimal work- a baked potato bar and an ice cream bar for dessert. I literally got two gallons of Blue Bell out of the freezer and had some toppings for it. I even served the caramel and chocolate sauces right out of the jars in which Hershey’s and Smucker’s had packaged them. Some of that might not sound like a big deal to you, but it was a struggle for me not to get out the plates, glasses, and put the sauces in pretty glass bowls. It went against the southern hostess in me, but I fought the urge for the greater cause. 

I’d told my friends I was going to set the bar low from the start, so we’d be more apt to do it again. If we thought we had to make an elaborate meal or have a pretty centerpiece or set a beautiful table or wash dishes all night afterwards, we’d be less likely to do it very often. I confess I did buy a cheap bouquet of cut flowers at the grocery store and had three little bud vases on the table. I mean- I am a retired floral designer and a bare table was just a step too far for me in this quest for simple entertaining. 

We had our loaded baked potatoes on our disposable plates and our Diet Coke and sweet tea in our plastic cups and our ice cream in paper bowls with plastic spoons. When we finished, we smooshed it all down in the trash can and got out the game- which did not fail to meet the lofty expectations I had for it. We laughed and laughed and laughed to the point we were scared to move or get up from the table for fear we’d have an accident- and no one had brought an extra pair of leggings. This group of friends goes back a long way- most of them since childhood- and there was more belly laughing than I’d done in a while. That is, until someone looked down at their watch and announced it was almost 10:00. Nobody could believe how late it was and they started gathering their things like it was a fire drill. I thought, oh, we are getting old. I guess 10 is the new midnight when you’re of a certain age. 

We used to do this kind of thing all the time. Somewhere along the way, we got busy with our kids and their schedules and our jobs and just life in general and we let entertaining at home fall by the wayside. Over time, we let social media convince us that get-togethers at our houses had to be fancy, grand, and picture-worthy to be worthwhile. At some point, we decided meeting at restaurants was an equal substitute to inviting our friends into our homes. Well, it’s not, at least, not all the time and I’m so guilty of that. It’s much easier to meet up somewhere than to try to clean and plan everything down to a tee. I guess this post has no real point except to remind you as I recently reminded myself- fun doesn’t have to be fancy. Maybe we can have even more fun with paper plates, t-shirts, and a new game than we ever could with fine china, cascading centerpieces, and tight waistbands. It’s all about who’s at your table- not what’s on it. It’ll be harder for some than it will be for others, but let’s try to welcome back the lower bar and call some friends to come over and eat on paper plates. I think I’ll find a game that needs even more players for next time. 

I hope y’all have a great weekend celebrating the fathers in your life! We’ll talk soon! 

JONI