Day 341 – A Year of Gratitude and Joy – Holiday Celebrations

There’s really no other time of the year like Christmas. Companies throw parties, families gather, friends make an extra effort to get together … it’s an excuse to don your holiday finery and toast each other over special meals and enjoy one-of-a-kind celebrations. 

Our calendar is already filling up with seasonal events. Just this week we hosted a neighborhood kickoff party and attended our annual wine club dinner. 

The Vinera Wine Society dinner has become a tradition for us. Liza, our consultant, and her best buddy, Agi, throw a party to end all parties. Last year, they hired a famous chef, rented a home in Scottsdale and plied us all with new wine club offerings. This year we found ourselves seated at a decades old Italian restaurant that continues to win rave reviews across the state.

The food was amazing, but the best part was the bottomless wine! We sampled German, Italian and French wines. We sipped reds, whites and bubbly. When our glasses emptied, they were immediately refilled.

Everything was paired with the food courses. We made new friends who share our love of boutique international wines and delicious food. We laughed and exchanged stories about travel and Christmas traditions. The evening flew by.

Liza and Agi passed out gifts and thanked us all for being members, then sadly announced the restaurant was kicking us out … we’d been there for FIVE hours!

On the Uber ride back to our hotel, Greg and I bemoaned the fact that big parties like these seem to be happening less often. We see fewer of them on our schedule and more small neighborhood and family gatherings. I’m grateful for all celebrations and the excuse to get dressed up and enjoy evenings filled with festive fun and laughter.

There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Throw on your party shoes and celebrate with friends.

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