Fully Decorated

Someone brought this classic game for Santa's sack,
 to be delivered to a child at a homeless shelter.

I loved the mantel at the holiday party tonight. It was big, old, carved from wood and decked with gilded pears, glittery silver leaves, velvety red poinsettias, slender white branches and simple white lights. It was stunning, and a fire roared in the hearth, to boot.

I want that mantel, fully trimmed just like that, in my home. I would never take my eyes off it.

The party was for the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers [NJASID] and was held at the elegant, century-old Park Avenue Club in Florham Park. [The club used to be a dairy barn--I saw the silo. How cool.] I've never been to Florham Park before, but it's about 30 minutes from Montclair, right next to Morristown.

I felt gifted. I went as the guest of the Asp1re Magazine editor in chief, Amy, and her husband, Asp1re publisher, Steve. 

Since this was a fete for designers and decorators and people in the trade, the blonde bobs were perfect, the pearls luminous, the jackets intriguing, the skirts sparkly, the heels high.

The food was good. A buffet with small plates. My favorites: the crunchy roll, the tortellini with wild mushroom sauce, the eggplant parmesan, the decorative little serving of steak with whipped potatoes. I would like to rave about the desserts but I'm afraid I can't. I don't aim to be catty, but you know me, I love desserts worth raving about. [Wait--if I liked fruit, I might rave. There was an opulent platter of vibrant fresh fruit, on the same table as the giant platter of brownies, cookies and biscotti.]

I loved that the organizers asked for unwrapped toys or gifts for kids ages 1 to 15, to be donated to Strengthen Our Sisters, a homeless shelter for women and children. Driving back from seeing Dad this afternoon, I asked Figgy, What would someone who is 15 want?  Since she is of course 15. I usually get stuff for the younger ones when I donate to toy drives, but thought, What about the teens? What if that was Figgy there?

Maybe a sketchbook? said the young artist.

So I headed to Montclair Stationery and got a blue-covered sketchbook, a cute notebook with a bright apple on the front, a set of good mechanical pencils and a pink marker. Might it possibly reach a young person who will want to draw or write? I hope so. The table at the club was laden with other goodies like the games Operation and Chutes and Ladders; Thunder Tumbler; a play kitchen mixer; and a Wii. Good stuff for Santa's sack.

Good night.