Blogmania: Holiday Open House: You’re Invited

 

Hostess with the Mostess, I am not.  Really, I am not an entertainer. I don’t know the first thing about how to host a successful dinner party and I can barely make the cushions on the couch match the curtains. {ok, so we don’t have couch cushions but I can dream right?} I typically decorate (and I use that term loosely) using the same bland neutral colors – tan, brown, green, white. I am a true hostess failure and it bugs me.

As I prepared for this post I began to think about all the things that I dream my entertaining life would be like.  Perfectly trimmed bushes in shapes of little rosettes, a warm welcoming sign with a matching seasonal wreathe, little candles burning in the window. As the door opens, the smells of warm apple pie and cinnamon fill the air.  Coats mysteriously vanish down the halls and a cozy fire crackles in the fire place.

Delicious appetizers (that didn’t come out of a box) fill the tables on color coded platters that sit on crisp linen table cloths. My grandmothers china plates are held gently in the hands of my company as they mingle around the house. Libations and conversations flow easily.

I am in the kitchen, wearing a beautiful apron putting the final touches on my Marthaesque dinner. I swiftly stir gravies and sauces and put them into little dishes with ladling spoons.  The meats are perfectly browned and carved. Homemade rolls are being placed into baskets with monogrammed linens. The meal looks right out of Southern Living magazine.

Should I go on or do you get the picture? I know, pathetic right? 

But believe me, these dreams are not exactly out of reach. Over the next 10 days, you will be able to join me and the Blogmania team as we help you create your dream holiday. Be sure to visit all the Dream Teams blogs.

Then xcome back daily from Nov 1st – 10th to learn a little bit more of our family traditions.  I will be sharing great recipes, stories and ideas that we use to make our holidays perfect.  

You will also want to come back daily to enter the Sunshine Praises $20 gift certificate to my dear friend’s Etsy shop.  This is not a sponsored post. I am personally going to give one of my readers a GC to Vinyl Signs 4 Him just for participating in the Holiday Open House.

TO ENTER THE HOLIDAY OPEN HO– USE:

Please ENTER THE DIRECT URL to YOUR Holiday Entertaining post (post must include our giveaway button in it) in the link up below for YOUR chance to win the over $2,000 in prizes* – all chosen to make you the Holiday hostess with the MOSTESS!!

*All links must link directly to a winter/holiday entertaining post. Links to main pages will be deleted. All linked posts must include our giveaway button. Any posts without our button in them will be deleted. Winner will be chosen using random.org. from all eligible (remaining) links and announced on www.parkerpronline.com on Nov. 11, 2010 and winner will also be contacted via comment on winning post. Winner will then have 72 hours to submit their contact information to [email protected] in order to claim the prize package. If not claimed, a new winner will be selected from remaining eligible links.

TO ENTER THE SUNSHINE PRAISES GIVEAWAY:

• Post one comment on that current days post with a link to your Holiday Open House post and either Tweet or Facebook a link to the Sunshine Praises Holiday Open House Post. If you tweet be sure to include #PPRO. (1 entry per day)

• Winner will be chosen by using random.org at the close of the event.  Comments will be counted each day starting with this posting, day 2, day 3 ect.  Winners will be contacted via email (so make sure yours is listed) and have 48 hours to respond. I will choose a new winner if I do not have a response.