White Elephant party in early December...ideas for cocktails/food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is trying to redeem herself but in knots over trying to justify her White Elephant, no substanital food "dinner" as a classy, fun, food-filled event. It's not.
I love being invited to neighbors for a fun, casual take-out meal, pizza and wine, or casual themed party, but please 7 PM is *dinner* and a White Elephant is inherently casual. If you're on here just to justify yourself, knock yourself out, but there are enough voices on here telling you that it's not well thought out.

There's plenty of other people (not OP) who appreciate heavy apps, glass of wine and find that to be plenty. It's certainly better than pizza and cheap take out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White elephant parties are tacky. It's just useless junk that ends up in the trash. Just what we need more of.

Actually, our annual white elephant party is to buy nice gifts that everyone would want. Definitely not useless junk. I’m using a cashmere blanket I got at one of them right now as I type this.

Wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

Yeah maybe for Super Bowl Sunday but an evening cocktail party? lol no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

Yeah maybe for Super Bowl Sunday but an evening cocktail party? lol no.

Evening cocktail "white elephant" party? White elephant screams casual. And cocktail parties begin at 5, not at 7. Anything after 6 should be a dinner party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

Yeah maybe for Super Bowl Sunday but an evening cocktail party? lol no.

Evening cocktail "white elephant" party? White elephant screams casual. And cocktail parties begin at 5, not at 7. Anything after 6 should be a dinner party.

Yes she needs to feed people, but literally nobody goes to this type of thing expecting to sit down to a square meal. They expect to make a plate or two of fun party foods (heavy apps, not chips and salsa) and that is dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

Yeah maybe for Super Bowl Sunday but an evening cocktail party? lol no.

Evening cocktail "white elephant" party? White elephant screams casual. And cocktail parties begin at 5, not at 7. Anything after 6 should be a dinner party.

Yes she needs to feed people, but literally nobody goes to this type of thing expecting to sit down to a square meal. They expect to make a plate or two of fun party foods (heavy apps, not chips and salsa) and that is dinner.

Agreed. OP could clarify in the invite that there will be apps and cocktails, and that will fully set expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7pm is a dinner party, I hope you understand that. If you are going for alcohol and dessert, it should start at 8 and state somewhere or refer to drinks and dessert. Since it's a white elephant, it's probably pretty casual so you can make it a dessert potluck-type of event.

Everybody knows a casual neighborhood get-together like this is all about heavy apps and fun food and drinks. Come off it. It's a White Elephant, not a sit-down dinner party. As long as some of the apps are heavy and filling, it's more than fine. If you can't fill up on a few cocktail meatballs, mini sandwiches, a hot dip and crackers, charcuterie, snacks, desserts, you're living life wrong.

Who said it has to be a stuffy sit down dinner? But don’t get chintzy and have only apps. Make it a casual potluck, which is appropriate for a white elephant, but make it dinner. You can make it easy - pizza, Chinese take-out, chili, but have more than just apps.

I’d much rather make a meal out of a selection of heavy apps than lukewarm takeout pizza or Chinese food. And chili would be even worse.

+1. NP. Chili?

Same! Except takeout Chinese might be worse than chili.

Go with the heavy apps, OP! I went to a party party weekend that started at 6pm. My dinner included a ham and cheese slider on a Hawaiian roll, several meatballs, a scoop of mac & cheese, a scoop of chopped broccoli salad, some veggie sticks, some sort of stuffed phyllo dough, and a brownie. It was plenty. And delicious.