The busy last months of the year often find us reuniting with family members, communing with work colleagues, rubbing elbows with neighbors, fellow parents, gala-goers, and all manner of friendly but perhaps not overly-intimate acquaintances. There’s a joy in all of this happy chatter to be sure, but sometimes the many obligations pull us away from our nearest and dearest…the people who support us, who have our backs, who always answer the phone whenever we call. Our closest friends. Our chosen family.
Inspired by gratitude, by appreciation, by love, and by the outright desire to have a darned good time, we decided to hug these people close with a fantastic season kick-off before Thanksgiving, after which the scheduling gets tough.
A Chosen Family Holiday Party
We happened to hit the jackpot with the weather. The setting sun fell upon us thick and golden as honey. Unseasonably warm temperatures encouraged us to eat and drink outdoors around a rickety old picnic table. We lingered over delicious finger foods prepared by Neil Blazin of Lawrenceville’s Driftwood Oven restaurant. After lighting up a wood-fire pizza oven on-site, they turned out legendary pimento cheese sandwiches and memorable Margherita pizzas.
Kingfly Spirits brought their excellent cocktail game! Their Ginger Daisy was fresh and light. Their tangy Spritz packed a zing. But it was their Old Fashioned that blew us away. Made with a splash of ginger beer, Bliss 1985 Spiced Rum and their homemade nocino, fermented for a year from young walnuts, this dark brew was bright and bold on the tongue.
Lighting the Lights
As the sun slipped below the horizon, we moved from the glow of the heavens to the heavenly glow prepared for us by LUXE Creative founder Martin Potoczny and his crew.
They transformed two rooms of the house into pools of color and light, and we dove in. A neon fire glowed against white porcelain logs from Klein Reid. Strings of old-fashioned lights cast a nostalgic glow. A zany, Seussian tree made it perfectly festive. A fine vintage taxidermy specimen, christened Lamar, presided over the cheerful din, flirtatious and regal in equal measure.
With Martin at the control board, the colors changed from blue to amber to russet and back again. Rat Pack Christmas classics were in the air. All of a sudden, thanks to Martin’s magic, there was dancing. And the holidays were upon us.
Story by Keith Recker / Photography by Jeff Swensen and Ben Petchel / Lighting Design by Martin Potoczny, LUXE Creative
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