18 December 1956 “A Cocktail Party in Photographs”

As we are all, so have I been rather busy this Christmas season. I threw a cocktail party this past Wednesday and did manage to get some photos. I always have good intentions of getting many, but once you get enjoying the night, you forget. I didn’t get all the ladies dresses, bad me. All the cocktails looked so lovely, especially the champagne cocktails fizzing away in my silver rimmed cocktail glasses with cherries in, but no pictures.
This first shot I made black and white. Doesn’t it look like an old photo?
 But, it isn’t, but one of my lovely guests donning her wonderful vintage cocktail coat. Here we see some mingling going on. My friend joked she was a ‘two-fisted’ drinker in this shot, as she was finishing a Manhattan when I handed her a grasshopper.
Another lovely shot of guest and grasshopper, they were a popular drink. And no wonder, they are SO yummy. My friend by the nibbles. I placed them on the piano, so that our table was free for cards and visiting. Here hubby relaxes with the dogs, he had his jacket off at this point. The dogs enjoyed themselves, as they love begging and therefore receiving food from all.I made a new dress, of course, and though I had intended to use a silk, this satin worked better for me. The silk was not in the right color. I think the over skirt turned out rather well and can be worn either opened in the back or the front. I wore it tied in the back, apron style for the night.   Here I am with my friend who had the most wonderful hat, very Mag Wildwood from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
My other friend also had a dress with a sheer apron style, though she wore hers open in the front. In the picture of people mingling you can see the pleated back of the this sheer skirt I believe.   As I said, I had most of the food on the piano. We had so many lovely things. This baked brie with home-made Apple pie jam baked in was lovely. These little darlings were easy and quite good. Just chive cream cheese on cocktail bread with smoked salmon and fresh dill. I can’t forget the deviled eggs, now can I? And it always gives me the excuse to use my egg plate that is part of my Temporama vintage dishes. Little egg, chive, and mushroom quiche. Here are assorted cheeses, labeled and so good. I just thought one of my egg cups filled with colored toothpicks seemed so 1950’s.Here are the popular Grasshoppers. To add red to them for the holiday I ground up candy canes in my coffee grinder and sprinkled on top.
I had 40s and 50s music playing all night and we played cards and laughed and really enjoyed ourselves. We had such a lovely time and there were so many more wonderful photos I could have got, but as I said, I was too into my party. As this second year ends and I have been diligently documenting my project, I find myself having to more and more remind myself to keep documenting it. My life has become so normally 1950’s that I forget all the little moments that might be enjoyed by you, but are so normal to me I have begun to take them for granted.
I also beg pardon for my rather shoddy posts this month. As I said, the second year of the 1950’s is ending for me and I am really thinking and planning and trying to digest the past two years to best find the way to go forward starting January first. We shall see what we shall see.
I hope all are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas and having fun with friends and family. Happy Homemaking!