Traditions, New and Old

Merry Christmas, everyone! As I sit here at my parent's home in Buffalo, NY, I can't help but think how lucky I am. Maybe it's the holidays that bring about those warm, fuzzy feelings, but I really think it's because I have so many great people surrounding me in my life these days. Between beginning new traditions with the LMP squad and practicing old traditions with my family at home, I'm reminded of how amazing this past year has been- for me and for the whole team at Little Miss Party.

It's been 3 years since I graduated from college, at which point Abby introduced me to Seri and I immediately started freelancing for LMP. I stayed in Boston for work, but over time, we continued to increase my workload and the frequency of my trips to NYC. By this time last year, Seri said to me in full confidence "Maggie, my goal for 2017 is to bring you to New York. I can't keep moving forward without you here." And of course, I said, "Okay. We will make it happen."

Before we could get there, Seri and Abby were beyond lucky to gain Natalie starting as an intern last January while she was in her last semester of college. She stayed on even after graduation, and I couldn't be more proud to work with this amazing girl. The team was building, moving forward, and by March, Seri offered me a full time job to begin in July.

Suddenly, the small team of 2 increased to a family of 4. Some days it seems like we haven't stopped moving in months. Our momentum has only increased, our work routines have streamlined, and we operate smoothly as a united squad. It feels like we can conquer anything together, and I couldn't imagine my life without these amazing women.

That being said, come December, Seri made it a point to make sure we also took the time to enjoy one another's company, begin new traditions as a team, and really reflect on the amazing year we have had together. 

So here's the thing- Seri is Jewish, but now she is surrounded by 3 coworkers who are Catholic and Protestant. So naturally, we all grew up with various Christmas traditions, whether it was chopping down our own fresh trees, decorating with the whole family, or prepping special holiday meals for everyone to enjoy. We decided to start NEW traditions this year as a team.

Tradition #1: Decorating the office Christmas tree

Seri was beyond excited to get her FIRST EVER Christmas tree (from Treetopia!), which she decided to order in millennial pink, of course! She found amazing ornaments and lights at Target, Abby made an incredible Red Wine Hot Chocolate, we used the cutest Be Jolly plates from our party shop, and our friend Angela of Making that Cake made us an amazing pink winer wonderland cake. As if we weren't having enough fun with our sweets and decor, we also had Seri's Jewish Bubbe doll (from Michelle!) to be our angel atop the Christmas tree. We hope you tuned in for actual decorating which we did LIVE on Instagram. We had such a blast.

Tradition #2: Team Lunch and Gift Exchange

Seri generously treated her girls (plus her babysitter, Kathleen, who is our honorary LMP member) to an amazing lunch at ABCV, a Jean-Georges vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan. Not only was this place STUNNING, but the flavors and food were beyond delicious. We all got dressed up in Christmas colors and felt like celebrities in this next-level chic lunch spot. Afterwards, we exchanged gifts at the office and laughed our butts off. From Kathleen's homemade scrub to Natalie's custom "Crafty Maggie" mug, every gift was spot on.

Tradition #3: The Official LMP Holiday Party

Okay I know this seems obvious that we should throw a party at the holidays like every other office in the world, especially because we are EXPERTS in party planning!!! But you'd be shocked how easy it is for us to get partied-out during the craze of the holiday season. We're totally beat! But this year, we knew it was time to gather our friends, vendors, and clients in one place to celebrate. Now that the team has grown, we took some of the pressure off Seri to plan and decorate. It was a group effort, and I especially want to thank Natalie for cutting out so many amazing snowflakes to fill our ceiling. You can find the full recap of our office transformation for the LMP Holiday Party on the blog.

So there you have it, a full recap of the Christmas with Little Miss Party. Today, I will unwrapping gifts from Santa and his elves, drinking mimosas with my mom, eating breakfast with our neighbors, and cuddling up by the fire. I hope you are at home, with family, or with friends, celebrating traditions that remind you of how lucky we are to live in a world where we are capable of loving each other and celebrating life as if each day is a party. These moments won't last forever, so cherish them, drink it in, and have a very Merry Christmas!