So... here we go!
This was the first year in many where A had New Year's Eve AND New Year's Day off. (He had to go in the morning of NYE, but that was it.) This was a water-to-wine level miracle, people. So to celebrate, we decided to... stay in. I can see the look on your face now: Huh? You live in downtown Chicago and you STAYED IN on New Year's Eve?! Here was our reasoning: First, we weren't digging the idea of paying hundreds of dollars to be packed in like sardines at a hotel/bar/restaurant with 100s of our "new best friends." Second, when we mentioned A having NYE off to a friend-couple, they said they also were looking for something low-key to do. Light bulb! (Say it in Gru's voice from Despicable Me.) Enter our grand idea: New Year's Eve Game Night. At our place. No need to go anywhere on the roads (during what my dad likes to call "amateur night"). No rubbing up against sweaty strangers. No paying an insane cover charge just to have to pay jacked-up prices on drinks. Winner winner, chicken dinner!
We invited four other couples to come to our place and help celebrate with good champagne (money well spent!) and board games. The party started about 8:30PM and went until we all realized it was 4:30 the next morning. Fun times with great friends!
Part of the fun was making champagne cocktails. I chose three tasty-sounding recipes: Champagne Mojitos, the Americana, and the Classic Champagne cocktail. All were very good, and easy to make!
For food, we had appetizers and champagne cupcakes for dessert. Everyone brought things, which made it super easy. A even made rice paper rolls for the first time (after we tried them in Tampa and LOVED them). They turned out wonderfully!
Definitely the best New Year's Eve I've had in a long time! If we happen to be both in Chicago and A wrangles the time off, we'll be doing it again!
