In this He Said, She Said we followed a couple for a behind the scenes look at their annual New Year’s Eve celebration. Meet Chris and Colleen.
The Date:
Chris: Colleen and I went to the annual New Year’s Eve party at the home of our neighbors, Teresa and Mike.
Colleen: It is a family event – all of the kids play in the basement where they watch movies and make crafts, while the adults hang out upstairs and talk about our goals and dreams for 2012. Well, not really – we just eat, drink, dance, take pictures, and generally act foolish. And everyone just stumbles home, so we don’t have to worry about anyone getting behind the wheel.
The Food:
Chris: The focus was on finger food: fried ravioli, buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips, and bacon cheddar spread with crostini.
Colleen: For the late night revelers who required more “absorbent” food, there was a delicious selection of homemade breads, like pumpkin, banana and cinnamon. And the pièce de résistance: Coconut Kandy Kakes on a stick. Did I mention that our host, Mike, owns a Tastykake route?!
The Drinks:
Chris: I drank beer for most of the night, including Yakima Glory from Victory Brewing Company. (I’m from Yakima, WA, so I have a special relationship with this brew.) I switched to Verde Raspberry Sparkling Wine once the clock struck midnight. I’m not normally a fruity wine person, but this stuff was particularly good. With the help of another neighborhood couple, I polished off a whole bottle within ten minutes.
Colleen: The featured cocktail of the evening was a “Baby New Year.” The hostess, Teresa, made one for me, and I loved it. The cocktail is a mix of vanilla vodka, pineapple juice and sprite. I would have been on the floor by 10 pm if I drank those all night, so I switched to my standard: chardonnay.
What they wore:
Chris: My closet doesn’t have any sparkles, so I settled for a satiny gold shirt that I bought at a thrift store in Seattle ten years ago. The best part about the shirt is that the buttons have pictures of James Bond on them. The real James Bond–Sean Connery.
Colleen: The unofficial mandate was “must wear sparkles.” I didn’t have a sparkly shirt, so I opted to accessorize with some bling: three rhinestone necklaces, a vintage rhinestone hair clip and a 1950s silver mesh handbag by Whiting & Davis. I did wear clothes in addition to my sparkles–in case your were wondering.
Was there a kiss?
Chris: We met through mutual friends while I was living in Seattle (and Colleen was visiting) for New Years Eve in 1998. Our first kiss was at midnight on NYE, so of course we make out at midnight every year.
Colleen: That fills our annual kissing quota until next NYE.
Resolutions for 2012?
Chris: We deal with antiques and vintage home goods through our business, FreshVintage (freshvintage.typepad.com). So
Colleen: My resolution is to make sure we buy so many cool things that we could never be able to fit a car in the garage. Sorry Chris!
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