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There were 42 people at the last party I hosted... and that was JUST family, wow!! My "little Italian family" gatherings have grown through the years, due to new babies and new members, so little by little, I ended up with a crowd.

My big secret is PRE-PREP as much as possible. My daughter, Hope, knows that three days before a party, is crunch time. We clean the house, make sure we have all our dishes, glasses, utensils (spoons disappear at our house so I always have to go buy more), plan the meal and grocery shop. The day before the party, we pre-prep all the food. We do as much prep before the day of the party as possible, but I will never sacrifice freshness for timeliness. I bake pies, process veggies, and prep the hams, turkeys and lasagnas so all that’s left is to pop it in the oven the day of the party (notice how soooo much of this revolves around food..my Ma is coming so it has to be great).

The night before the party, we set it all up: tables, chairs, the place settings and dishes. We also arrange platters, drinks and clean the house again... Sheesh. It's a bonding time for Hope and I. Things always go wrong and we just laugh at all the craziness! Last year, the poor girl had to peel 25 pounds of potatoes, have mercy!

Shortly before your guests arrive, set the atmosphere. Light the candles, turn of the beautiful music (quiet for the old folks) and take it all in. You’ve done a great job and you get to see your loved ones..win win!!

My point is this, by the time my family gets to our home, it's all done! The food is hot and just coming out of the oven and we are all set to enjoy their company!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: don't stress, have fun, it doesn't have to be perfect. The whole point is, precious time spent with the people we love!! Breath, just breath.

Xoxo

A

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