Judy Garland, Tony Martin, and the King's . . . → Read More: Vintage Christmas LPs for Your Holiday Party]]>

I’ll admit it.  I love Christmas music and have been known to turn it on all year round.  But I’m particular to the music that can only be found on the old vinyl LPs.  For a true retro holiday party, consider playing these albums in the background.

Judy Garland, Tony Martin, and the King's Men sing traditional Christmas music; Image courtesy of Zellaby on Flickr.com

Three Suns Christmas Party on RCA Victor: Image courtesy of Krakencrafts on Flickr.com. Anyone else kind of creeped out by the looks of these guys?

Hi-Fi Christmas Party From 1958, Domenico Savino, His Orchestra And Chorus-Hi-Fi Christmas Party (RCA Camden CAS-392); Image courtesy of Ernie Haynes on Flickr.com; Mom seems a bit too excited about what she is seeing in that bag.

CHRISTMAS WITH PATTI PAGE; Image courtesy of Martin Prine on Flickr.com; Not to be outdone by Princess Leia's great-great-great-grandmother (yesterday), Patti Page not only shows off her tree but entertains you with her singing as well!

Gene Autry - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer; Image courtesy of Matthew Kirscht on Flickr.com; I don't want to speculate on what is going on with the reindeer flying through the legs thing. Some things are just better left unexplored.

Some parties are a lot of fun . . . → Read More: Successful Entertaining: No Need for a Fancy Schmancy Holiday Party]]>

We have now officially entered the Christmas Season.  I know that some stores have had their displays up since last June, it seems, but now that Thanksgiving here in the States is behind us, we are now focused on Christmas traditions.  One huge tradition is The Christmas Party.

Some parties are a lot of fun and others are “I really don’t want to go but I have to make an appearance” type of affairs.  So, how do you ensure that yours is in the “fun” category?  Get rid of the notion that a holiday party has to be fancy.

Here are three party ideas that are perfect for beginning hostesses on tight budgets and (perhaps) space challenged:

• Cookie Decorating Party  This is my very favorite type of holiday party to host because everyone gets into it.  I even had the chancellor and his wife from one of the universities where I used to teach telling everyone for months what a great time they had at our party.  So, go ahead and invite everyone.  You’ll get to see a side of people you don’t normally see.
• Use a basic sugar cookie recipe and make the dough ahead of time
• Make or buy white frosting and mix with different colors of food coloring; Include an icing tube and the tips for those that are really fancy in their decorating endeavors
• Have a supply of sprinkles, etc. on hand
• Ask people to bring their favorite cookie cutters (but also provide a selection for those that don’t have any).
• Cut out, bake, and decorate
• Send cookies home with your guests

French's Christmas Cookies advertisement; Image courtesy of *Julia on Flickr.com (click on image to go to Flickr site for larger image)

Mulled cider, hot cocoa, tea, coffee, and milk are perfect drinks to have on hand to go with the cookies.  Because they will be eaten during your party.

When I’m having  the party for my nieces and nephews (and their parents), we will often do it in the morning and I serve chili for lunch before they head off to their other activities.

• Kitschy Craft Party  I haven’t tried this one yet but I’m thinking it would be so much fun to have the girls over to create some great mid-century Holiday Kitsch.  There are great resources all over the Internet–search Pack-O-Fun– but  Betty Crafter is the queen of Craft Kitsch (I want to be her when I grow up).  She has a wreath idea that would be perfect for a party, I think.

Egg Carton Christmas from Pack-O-Fun Scrap Craft Magazine, December, 1964; Image courtesy of Barb Lawrence on Flickr.com

• Tree Decorating Party  You get a “two-fer” out of this one!  When I was growing up, tree decorating parties were fairly common.  When you arrived, the tree was all set up and had the lights already strung on it.  Then everyone had a good time helping the hostess decorate the tree.  The primary requirements are plenty of hooks for the decorations, tinsel/icicles, and hot cocoa or mulled cider.  Will the tree look like something from Martha Stewart when finished?  Nope.  But, it’ll look perfect in all of its decorating imperfection because it will elicit warm memories of laughter and a good time.

I wouldn't recommend passing out barbituates at your Christmas tree decorating party. And I can't believe they used to send out "free samples" of the stuff! Illus. by Fletcher Martin. From the 1952 "What's New" by Abbott Laboratories; Image courtesy of Electrospark on Flickr.com

Previously, I’ve talked about how my parents used to host an annual Christmas open house.  Since we didn’t have a lot of money while I was growing up, the open house was a nice casual way to see friends and celebrate the holiday.  One thing I learned from those open houses is that you don’t need to be fancy schmancy, spend a lot of money, and serve alcohol in order for everyone to have a good time.

What are some other inexpensive and casual holiday party ideas?

I try . . . → Read More: My Thanksgiving Prep Checklist]]>

We have been spending our Tuesdays exploring how to be a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins.  Given that Thursday is Thanksgiving for those of us in the United States, I thought I’d share with you my Thanksgiving prep countdown.

I try to do a little bit at a time leading up to Thursday.  This allows me to focus on the task at hand and get it done quickly and efficiently, much like Walther Matthew’s Wise Words of the Day for today.  If I wait until Thursday morning to try and get everything done, then I will be going bonkers and will be pulled in a bunch of different directions.  That, my friends, is a recipe for a goof-up, if not a major disaster!

Holiday Kitchen "Good Housekeeping" December 1953; Image courtesy of Salty Cotton on Flickr.com; Why is she ignoring the turkey sticking out of the oven and preparing another smaller turkey??

Last Wednesday

• Finalize menu
• Check freezer/pantry
• Grocery shopping

Last Saturday

• Re-finalize menu (added one other item)
• Grocery shopping for items other store with the great sale on turkeys didn’t have and regular weekly shopping

Sunday

• Take turkey out of freezer because it never thaws in two days like it should–it is still frozen two days later

Monday

• Deep clean bathrooms–inform The Mister he will have to use the bathroom at the nearby gas station until after Thanksgiving

Tuesday (This is when it starts kicking into gear)

• Take homemade cranberry sauce out of freezer (leftover from the photo shoot for  the most recent Modern Retro Recipes newsletter)
• Deep clean living room/dining area
• Take china out of storage boxes; rinse if needed
• Iron tablecloth, gently fold and hang on wire hanger using clothes pins or safety pins
• Do steps 1 and 2 of Jello salad
• Check turkey and wonder if it will ever thaw out

Wednesday

• Deep clean kitchen–inform The Mister that he will be taking me out to dinner
• Take bread dough out of freezer (leftover from photo shoot)
• Set table
• Do step 3 of Jello salad
• Chop onions and celery
• Brine turkey (finish thawing it out in cold water, if needed, before brining)
• If time, make stuffing

Thursday (Dinner at 1:00)

• Make stuffing, if not made on Wednesday
• Turkey into oven by 8:30
• Peel/cook potatoes
• Cook peas/onion, make white sauce
• Play with Alice
• Reheat side dishes that Mom is bringing
• Make whipped cream
• Enjoy dinner with the family!

Our Menu (Nothing fancy or gourmet)

Turkey
Stuffing/Dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Cloverleaf Rolls
Mashed Potatoes
Peas and Onions in White Sauce
Jello Salad
Green Salad
Green Beans
Olives
Pie with Real Whipped Cream

I just realized that I forgot to get cider so that we can have mulled cider!  Perhaps I’ll venture out later today to get it.  It’s always something, isn’t it??

Miss . . . → Read More: Thanksgiving: Football on TV or No Football on TV?]]>

This post is part of a series on being a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins and published in 1952 by Prentiss-Hall.

FOOTBALL ON TV:

There is a football game on and you want to see it.

~Carolyn Coggins

Miss Coggins tells us that it is perfectly acceptable to offer a Thanksgiving buffet instead of a traditional dinner so that your guests can enjoy watching a football game.  I suspect, however, that there weren’t back to back to back football games on television in 1952 like there are now.  Anyway, Miss Coggins reminds us that we still need to use our finest china and silver even if the focus is the game.

Here is her menu idea:

Thanksgiving Buffet for 24

Image courtesy of Paul Malon on Flickr.com

Okay, truth be told, I’m a bit torn about this idea.  Help me out here.  What do you think (and why)?

What a brilliant idea!  I wouldn’t have to deal with that boorish cousin-once removed!

or

Football on in the other room before/after dinner is okay but this is Thanksgiving! It’s not like it can’t be DVRed during the meal!

For Thanksgiving dinner no one would wish to other than old-fashioned. There are no short cuts…The more each person in . . . → Read More: Just Say No to Dinner in a Box]]>

This post is part of a series on being a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins and published in 1952 by Prentiss-Hall.

For Thanksgiving dinner no one would wish to other than old-fashioned. There are no short cuts…The more each person in the family takes part, the more fun Thanksgiving dinner. There are no short cuts for preparing the dressing or roasting the turkey, or for all the polishing and preparation that goes before a big family dinner. ~ Carolyn Coggins

Cover of the November 1954 issue of Family Circle magazine; Image courtesy of Clotho98 on Flickr.com

We have a little over two weeks before we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States (Canadians, it should be noted, have already had their Thanksgiving. Being ever practical, they don’t jam all of their holidays together like we do). The Sunday newspaper was filled with advertisements from local grocery stores touting their time saving “holiday dinner in a box.” At different price points, you get a meat and your choice of side dishes.

Bleh.

I know all about those dinners in a box. I have family members who swear by them, even though I offer to prepare the entire meal from scratch. I swear at them (the dinners, not the family members). The food tastes chemically and bland and institutional. You don’t think the stores are actually preparing those meals in the back, do you? They are made in a factory and shipped to the store.

Morrison's Cafeteria would take care of the Thanksgiving turkey (and dressing) for Jacksonville, Fla., housewives in 1963 for only $10.95; Image courtesy of DSL in Jax (Dennis Lewis) on Flickr.com

Here’s the thing. You still have to reheat everything. And the process takes almost as long as it would have if you made everything from scratch. The difference is that it requires some planning. And confidence in your menu. Because the cooking part is really rather easy if you take it step by step. It is even easier if you make some “do ahead” dishes that only take 15-30 minutes to prepare and just require either reheating or taking out of the refrigerator before serving. And, it is even easier, still, if you are able to have family members contribute to the meal by bringing a dish or two.

I think the greatest enticement toward the dinners in a box is that it seems like all of the planning is done for you already. But, don’t people usually add extra stuff to those boxed dinners? So, you’re going to be doing some menu planning anyway.

Don’t confuse Thanksgiving Dinner with a Bacchanalian feast. Your guests will enjoy a simple and elegant meal much more than a feeding frenzy.

Here are three vintage menu ideas to get your mental juices flowing:

The Family Thanksgiving

Clam Juice Cocktail

Canapés

Minted Cream of Pea Soup with Croutons

Roast Turkey

Brazil Nut Stuffing

Giblet Gravy

Creamed Corn

Mashed Potatoes

Molded Cranberry Pineapple Salad

Ginger Pumpkin Chiffon Refrigerator Cake

Coffee

Raisins and Nuts

Port

1940s COCA COLA Thanksgiving vintage illustration family advertisement; Image courtesy of Christian Montone on Flickr.com

Feast for Thanksgiving

Harvest Fruit Cup

Roast Rock Cornish Game Hen

Mushroom Wild Rice

Asparagus Spears with Lemon Wedges

Baked Butternut Squash

Waldorf Salad

Pumpkin Chiffon Tarts

Hot Coffee

Thanksgiving meal from freezer cookbook

A Thanksgiving Dinner (Gourmet)

Hors d’ oeuvres

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Roast Turkey with Fruit and Chestnut Stuffing

Yams with Apricots and Sunflower Seeds

Brillat-Savarin’s Spinach

Marian’s Cranberry-Orange Relish

Apples Molded in a Scarlet Overcoat

Demitasse

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner will take longer than a typical evening meal but it doesn’t have to be stressful nor elaborate nor Martha Stewart or Food Network-ish. Pretend you are the cook in your own Food Network or PBS show and have fun!

Remember: If you’re not having fun, neither will anyone else.

The tone of the cocktail hour is one of gaiety and high spirits, conversation and laughter, composing a delightful bridge . . . → Read More: Successful Entertaining: Cocktail Parties ~ The Solution to More Fun than Funds]]>

This post is part of a series on being a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins and published in 1952 by Prentiss-Hall.

The tone of the cocktail hour is one of gaiety and high spirits, conversation and laughter, composing a delightful bridge between the day and the night…The lilt and elixir of a successful cocktail party is in the mood and not–as some think–in the glass…Whether you live in one room or in a mansion, if you have access to ice you can give cocktail parties…Cocktail parties are much easier to give than a dinner, and despite this, may provide a more festive occasion. ~Carolyn Coggins

Vintage Cocktail Party: Image courtesy of Fauxology.com

The 2011 holiday season has arrived but, for many people, it forgot to bring its checkbook.  How do we entertain while grappling with reduced circumstances?  The solution is that mid-century bastion of entertaining: The Cocktail Party.

Here are six benefits of hosting a cocktail party (or, for non-drinkers, open house):

• We only need to provide beverages and a few appetizers such as nuts, stuffed olives, cheese and crackers, and meatballs eaten using toothpicks instead of cutlery.

• It increases the likelihood that guests will attend our party because they can come to ours before going to The Event They Must Attend

• We can entertain before we go to The Event That We Must Attend

• The party only lasts about 2 hours and then we are done.  Like a child’s birthday party with a set beginning and end, the invitation is to come for drinks from 5:00 to 7:00 (or whatever time you designate)

• Size of our entertaining space doesn’t matter.  In fact, if we have a tiny space, we can invite more people to a cocktail party than for a dinner because there isn’t an expectation of sitting down for hours at a time.  Because of the short time frame, most people will end up standing for the duration of the party.

• They are a perfect party for beginning entertainers to host because they are easier to plan and prepare

Since cocktail parties are a mid-century iconic event, we can have a lot of fun with the invitations.  For example, if I’m hosting a Christmas-time cocktail party, I could find great kitschy holiday images and use those on the mailed invitations and follow-up emails.

One word of caution: As Mrs. Coggins notes, the primary fun is in the socializing, not the alcohol.  We don’t want our guests leaving our party “with a buzz.”  Buzzed driving is still drunk driving and we need to be responsible hostesses in that regard.  Mrs. Coggins tells us,

Don’t mix strong drinks, “stiff” ones, after the first round.  The first one should be strongest–it relaxes everyone–but moderate sized to follow means your guests can be sociable without becoming sodden.  This is not to save liquor but to save face, yours as well as theirs.

When I was growing up, my parents hosted an open house that lasted for a few hours every holiday season. Some friends stayed for the entire party while others stopped by for a little bit on their way home from shopping or before heading off to other holiday events (often The Living Christmas Tree extravaganza at our church).  It was not a fancy event.  My parents simply didn’t have the money for anything fancy.  But it was always a hit and their circle of friends looked forward to it every year.

Have you ever hosted a cocktail party/open house?

Next time, we will explore cocktail parties a bit more and then we will skip ahead in the book to learn about hosting more traditional holiday parties.

Being a graceful, relaxed hostess comes naturally to some people, but to most it is achieved through experience…for either the . . . → Read More: Successful Entertaining: Smooth Entertainment Requires Planning, Planning, Planning]]>

This post is part of a series on being a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins and published in 1952 by Prentiss-Hall.

Being a graceful, relaxed hostess comes naturally to some people, but to most it is achieved through experience…for either the old hand or the novice in party-giving the safest way [to a successful party] is to sit down and think through each detail from beginning to end.  Whether the party is a big or a little one, this is the best way to insure its turning out the way you intend, with the least exertion on your part. ~ Carolyn Coggins

"Party Plans for Food & Games" 1966; Image courtesy of Saltycotton on Flickr.com

In my academic career, I hosted several events a month.  Most of them were workshops on how to teach college but many of them were “relationship building” (aka “grip and grin”) events.  When I first started out, I thought that I’d just have to reserve the room, order the refreshments, send out the announcements, and print up the handouts.  I quickly discovered that there were a lot of little details that needed my attention, too.

Eventually, I adapted a “workshop file folder” technique that a colleague shared at a conference.  I had checklists and other information printed on card stock that was large enough to become a file folder.  Planning on the outside and paperwork on the inside.  After that, most of the events were smooth as silk because of the in depth planning.

Do I use that same depth of planning when I entertain?  Yes and no.  I like to be organized ahead of time so that I can enjoy the party when the time comes.

Miss Coggins suggests you do the following at least two weeks before your party so that you can entertain smoothly (with my commentary added):

• Be an armchair planner  Get a notepad and start brainstorming.  Who will you invite?  What will you serve? Was there that idea in a magazine or on television that you thought would be fun to try?  Write it all down.

• Make lists
• Groceries and beverages
• To Do
• Decorations
• Entertainment supplies

• Look glamorous  What will you wear to the party?  Is it appropriate for the occasion? Is it comfortable?  Can you cook in it (if appropriate)?

• Invite your guests by phone (or text messaging but not email), if you are able  A common lament in the modern world is that people no longer respond to invitations leaving the host frustrated and wondering who is attending  the party and who isn’t.  In my rummaging around of vintage books and movies, I have discovered that the telephone was more often than not used to invite people to an informal party.  And, as Miss Coggins notes, you’ll usually know right away who is coming or not.  After you’ve spoken to your guests, then you can follow-up with an email invitation with the party specifics on it.

• Create a “cheat sheet” for a guest of honor or someone new to the group  Meeting a whole bunch of new people all at once can be overwhelming and awkward for a guest of honor or someone new to a group.  Once you know who is coming, you can create a cheat sheet with names and key information about them so that the guest doesn’t feel like a deer caught in headlights.  This is a trick that leaders (and people who want to be leaders) have up their sleeves and why they seem so at ease when meeting new people.  The leaders already know something about the people they are meeting and can ask them questions a little more interesting than what they think of the weather.

There will always be a glitch when we entertain–like the time I discovered that I forgotten to plug in the new-to-me vintage roaster until my family arrived so dinner was an hour later than planned–but if we have things planned out ahead of time as much as possible, the glitches won’t be party breakers and we can still have a great time with our guests.

Do you have a party planning trick?  Or a story of what happened when you forgot to plan for something?

I…should talk about several things one simply must not do when inviting guests, being a guest, or when entertaining guests.  . . . → Read More: Successful Entertaining: How to be a Terrible Hostess]]>

This post is part of a series on being a hostess with the mostess using Successful Entertaining at Home: A Complete Guide for Informal Entertaining written by Carolyn Coggins and published in 1952 by Prentiss-Hall.

I…should talk about several things one simply must not do when inviting guests, being a guest, or when entertaining guests.  Most offenders are innocently perpetrating these crimes because no one has stopped them–until now, anyway.  If you are an offender, it is no doubt through failure to realize the effect of these crimes on your own popularity as well as on the sensibilities of others. ~ Carolyn Coggins

"How to Stop Being a Ghostess" "The American Home" October 1956; KitchenAid advertisement courtesy of SaltyCotton on Flickr.com

If you watch enough “how to throw an amazing party” shows on television, you start to believe that food and decorations are the focal point of a party.  Not so, says Miss Coggins.  Your guests are the most important element of any entertaining and she pleads with you to avoid doing any of the following:

• Trick your guests into coming.  Instead of saying, “Are you doing anything Saturday night?” We should tell them up front that we are having a party and hope that they can come.

• Let a guest be stranded.  No one should be left alone while everyone else is engaged in conversation.  A good hostess keeps her eye out and draws the stranded person into a conversion, offers them a refreshment, or asks a friend to rescue the stranded person.

• Interrupt people who are talking so that a new arrival can be introduced.  This is just basic good manners.  Wait until there is a break in the conversation to introduce the guest.

• Frown.  This is one I have to work on because my tendency is to frown when I am thinking or surveying the situation and so my guests think that something is wrong instead of it being something mundane such as needing more ice for the drinks.

• Embarrass a guest.  Yes, the person is behaving badly by either showing up unexpectantly or by trying to bait the other guests into an argument.  Despite what we see in sitcoms and movies, as the hostess our job is to help the person “save face.”  We don’t have to put him in his place.  He is doing it well enough on his own and doesn’t have to be invited to any more of your parties (unless he’s the boss or a relative…then, you just have to grin and bear it).

• Be a fussbutton. This bit of advice goes back to the advice in a  previous post about having a showcase house.  Don’t be obvious about cleaning up while the party is still going on.  It’s a party.  There will be times during the party that it will look like *gasp* a party is going on!

• Exploit guests.  If you want them to be your entertainment, then book them and pay them their going rate.  Otherwise, don’t invite someone hoping that they’ll put on a show for you.   If they spontaneously begin to entertain, great!  But don’t put them on the spot by asking them in front of everyone at the party to do their thing.  Talented people need their down time, too!

What are some things that terrible hostesses do that hasn’t been included in the list?

To enjoy planning and hosting a party, you need to feel confident in the outcome.  Given your circumstances, there only may . . . → Read More: Successful Entertaining: Four Things to Remember]]>

The successful party is one at which the results in fun and effectiveness greatly outbalance the time required to arrange it.  ~Carolyn Coggins, Successful Entertaining At Home: A complete Guide for Informal Entertaining, 1952

To enjoy planning and hosting a party, you need to feel confident in the outcome.  Given your circumstances, there only may be a handful of types of parties you can successfully host.  You’ll only know for sure if you try out different social events and then sticking with the ones that work and where you enjoy yourself.

Here are four things to remember:

• Are you known for your entertainment repertoire?  You don’t always have to have a different type of party and food.  Become known for your “signature dish” and serve it and your “signature party” and host it.  Restaurants become known for a certain ambiance and menu.  Why can’t you?

Kikkoman advertisement courtesy of Heather David from Flickr.com

• What is most important?  Is the focus of your party your guests and making sure they have a good time or being a martyr hostess who wears herself out before the party begins?  I’ve been to parties given by a martyr hostess who spends the entire time talking about how she slaved in the kitchen and cleaned the house top to bottom all day.  I’ll confess that I’m always uncomfortable around a martyr hostess.  Am I supposed to feel guilty because she lost perspective?

1938 Ivory Soap Advertisement

• Is your home inviting or a showcase?  I remember going to a friend’s house when I was a teenager and being afraid to touch anything or sit down.  You don’t want your guests to be nervous about ruining something.  If you are concerned about your tabletops, either cover them or put plenty of coasters in plain view.  Have hassocks available for extra seating and/or putting one’s feet up.  Having a chaotic home is just as uninviting as a showcase home.  Guests never know what they will encounter such as  having schmutz stuck to their backside when they stand up after sitting on your couch.

The California Way advertisement (1950) courtesy of saltycotton on Flickr.com (Is she wondering about that thing floating in her glass?)

• Are you enjoying yourself?  If you aren’t enjoying yourself, neither will your guests.

Dennison Party Advertisement (1957) courtesy of Heather David on Flickr.com

Do you have a type of party that you are famous for hosting or a food that everyone looks forward to enjoying?

To your fabulous Technicolor entertaining!

Dr. Julie-Ann