Have An Outer Space New Year!

Today's new episode of the "Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en" is chock full of ideas for ringing in the new year in the comfort and privacy of your own home, with no loss of glamour or excitement (click here to watch). However, that's just the tip of the iceberg! There are as many ideas for New Year's Eve celebrations as there are revelers, including this outer space themed party from How To Have A Ball On A Baby Sitter's Budget (1959, one of my new favorite cookbooklets) brought to you by the Pillsbury Junior Home Service Center. Let these ideas help you to soar into the '60s (or 2016). Start by adding a little whiskey to that ginger ale and adapt these ideas for your celebration. Those Mighty Molivecules sound pretty good (add a little cayenne pepper for an extra kick)!

You're Entertaining

Are you hosting Christmas or Christmas Eve in your home, or perhaps a party this weekend? If so, here are some thrifty suggestions for festive decor from the good folks at the Scott Paper Company, from their 1963 pamphlet You're Entertaining (click on the images to make them bigger):

They've also thoughtfully included a page on which to take notes about your party - what went well and what you might tweak for the next one, along with some inspiration for your hosting journey!

I love this booklet! It's filled with just as much goodness as you'd expect, including the appeal to enjoy your own party, one of our common refrains. So hang that sprig of fir on the door, line that boot box with superabsorbent ScotTowels, shake yourself up a lovely libation and have a good time! Those ScotTowels will still be there in the morning when you're ready to clean up after sleeping it off a good time was had by all!

Have A Merry, Mediocre Christmas!

A mediocre Christmas probably sounds awful, but I mean only great things for you when I say that! The holiday season can be a nutty time and, as we've already seen, the pressure to perform in various arenas (gift giving, hosting, being a great friend or family member, etc.) can be a bit much. Therefore I'm urging all of us to go a little easy on ourselves this year. A truncated workout is better than no workout. A nice-but-not-incredible bottle of wine as a host gift is better than no host gift. The fact that you're giving gifts at all is better than none (unless you've agreed to that in advance). An easy Christmas dinner is better than driving yourself berserk and ruining your day. So give yourself a break and enjoy the season by lowering your expectations of yourself when you feel a little batty. I'll bet your "good enough" is actually pretty fantastic!

I call it "Tuesday night in December."