The Month That Made Me Wave the White Flag

December was... a lot. Like, a lot a lot. You know those months where you're convinced you're crushing it, being a superhero - and then your body just taps out and says, "Psych!"? Yeah. That was December. It was chaotic and exhausting and yet still full of moments I'll remember forever. I spent most of the month toggling between "We're making memories!" and "Am I dying?" Skip to the end: we survived. Barely. But with some really good memories to show for it.

Zach turned 11 - hard to believe he's wading further into double digits! Watching him hit this milestone was equal parts "how is my baby this old" and "yep, that tracks with his current tween attitude." 

Elizabeth had her first skating competition. She didn't fall, she didn't freak out, and honestly, she looked way more composed than I felt watching from the stands. Kid's got ice in her veins!

We then spent Christmas with my mom and sister in the Hudson Valley. Who do I call to have them sainted? I caught one of those terrible bugs that's going around and was legitimately down-for-the-count sick, but they just made allllll the magic happen for the kids. So thankful for my family of merrymakers.

And the kids demanded a return trip to NYC b/c they caught the city bug big time on their last visit. We went back to the Museum of Ice Cream - officially now a tradition, I think - because it's never too cold outside for ice cream apparently. And we also saw the Cirque du Soleil show, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, b/c we are low-key obsessed with acrobats. That's not weird, right? RIGHT?

WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE: I wish I'd thought of this when my kids were younger - an at-home museum!

December was all about wrapping up, reflecting, and mapping out 2026. Like little entrepreneurial elves, we wanted to hit the ground running in January, so a lot of behind-the-scenes work went into getting everything ready.

Our team is feeling very excited about Partytrick's How I Host series. The whole concept is about highlighting creators and industry experts - showing how they do it, not just how we do it. It's all about community, amplifying others, and helping people be inspired to host their way.

We're also launching a services branch this year. A lot of businesses don't have event experts in-house, obviously, but today's consumers expect more authentic engagement from their favorite brands. So we're testing some ways that businesses can leverage our expertise to strengthen their communities. Stay tuned for more on that! (But just to be absolutely clear - this does not mean I'll be planning weddings again. No ma'am!)

HOW TO DO DRY JANUARY WITHOUT THE BUZZKILL: These are our go-to non-alcoholic brands for hosting—thoughtful, elevated, and actually good.

December was a month of surrender. I was the recipient of a custom party platter of migraines, the flu, a cold, and pneumonia. It's a tough lesson for a lot of women, specifically, to learn - but when we constantly push through, soldier on, make everyone else the priority...eventually our bodies set off alarm bells. 

So I did some letting go and accepted help in December. (Help, to me, has historically been a four-letter word - and not the kind I love to say.) ;) Now I realize I'm not exactly Marco Polo discovering new territory here, but it is good for me to learn that I don't have to run point on everything all the time.

BEST NEW ROM-COMS TO WATCH WITH YOUR S.O.: First, find yourself a partner like mine who will watch Love Actually with you on your sickbed and then stick around for all the new rom-coms, too.

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." 

– Anne Lamott