After the pre-dance dinner and the official dance, we treated the kids to a post-dance bonfire and dessert bar. Read on for details....
As I said in my last blog, most of my topic ideas come from personal experience. So, to conclude a fun night for our high school aged son and his friends, we hosted a post-dance party at our home.
We set up a bonfire in the back yard (complete with marshmallows for toasting), and had soft drinks, hot chocolate and hot cider available. We also set up a dessert bar on the buffet --- biscotti for dipping, small pastries, a selection of cookies and brownies, and two decadent fondue choices.
The set up was simple, functional and not too intimidating for the 25 or so kids that attended. We set aside a couple of guest rooms so the teens could change out of their dressy clothes into jeans and sneakers. The video games and karaoke machine were available in the basement, and therefore there were enough different venues (bonfire outside, games in the basement, conversational seating near the food), that no one area got overcrowded.
At the risk of sounding sappy, I thought this was a great situation for everyone --- we provided an engaging atmosphere for a lot of kids, we gave peace of mind to the other parents (knowing that their kids had a safe, chaperoned place to go after the dance), and we got to interact with our son and his friends in a social environment. That is what hospitality should be all about.. So, I encourage you all to try your turn at this type of function!
