Boy Bash

On Friday night, we threw a Boys' Christmas Bash and filled our home with the laughter and rowdiness of seven boys. And it was supposed to be nine but a couple of them had to cancel at the last minute and it was probably for the better because HAVE MERCY THE NOISE LEVEL with just the seven.

If I had seven boys ranging between the ages of three and a half and seven, I might have to live in an asylum and just come home at night to make them dinner. Also, I would refuse to clean toilets ever again. The end.

We had a total blast, though. And it was kind of magical to celebrate the joy of children on a day that was just so very tragic.

As the boys arrived, I had Shrek the Halls playing to keep them occupied while we waited for the others. After that Troy was in charge of a couple of games. He brought home this green PVC pipe thing from church which kind of resembles a Christmas tree and they did a ring toss. They also played "Rudolph's Nose" which was nothing more than "Hot Potato" using a big red ball instead of a potato.

When the games were over it was time to have milk and cookies. And blueberry flavored candy canes. My brain temporarily shut down when I decorated the table and included the candy canes. I thought they would just take them home and enjoy them later. Because I forgot three things. SUGAR. BOYS. SIX-YEAR-OLDS. (Well, one seven, two six, two five, one four and one three but still.) So some of the boys got the brilliant idea to add their blueberry candy canes to their milk. Most of these children did not end up drinking the milk and I can't say that I really blame them.

I had a recipe for "Melted Snowmen" which was warm milk mixed with a little sugar and a splash of vanilla. Then the cup is topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips and a candy corn snowman nose. They were impossible to photograph because the solid pieces almost immediately began sinking into the bottom of the cup. But they were cute for approximately 2.1 seconds.

After the refreshments sugar high we had them make a craft which I got last year at the after Christmas sale. It was just a foam wreath that they stuck penguins, baubles, bows and snowflakes on. They made very cute ornaments and I wrote their names and the year on the back.

After that was my favorite part...

I stole this idea from Kelle Hampton and tried to put my own spin on it. We made reindeer food because, the way I see it, the reindeer are the ones doing the real workout on Christmas Eve. I mean, sure, Santa has to get his big belly up and down everyone's chimney but he gets rewarded with cookies at every single house. The reindeer get nothing. So each boy had a wooden box with a ziploc baggie inside. They could choose all sorts of combinations of items to create their own reindeer food. 

We had marshmallows, peanuts, oats, shredded coconut, raisins, Cheerios and a secret ingredient. Each item helps the reindeer in some way. Even the marshmallows provide a much needed sugar high when the night gets long. There was a note for Santa included in each bag asking him to kindly take the reindeer a treat. The boys seemed to really like this part and it was so fun watching them invent their very own blends.

I finished off the night by reading them 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and asking them what they would like for Christmas this year. Before they left, we made sure to snap a picture.

I volunteered in Garrett's class on Monday morning and one of his buddies came up to me. "I loved that party. Will you please do one for Halloween?"

"Um...maybe," I replied.

"Okay! Yay! And also for Easter."

So apparently the party was a hit.