My family always throws one of the biggest Super bowl parties every year and this one isn’t any different than the others. This year’s Super bowl invitation is an interactive invitation including dress up as your favorite team, a tailgate themed potluck and a neighborhood food drive! My mother likes to use her rubber stamp collection to create very involved and elaborate Super bowl invitations with glitter and team colors and even sparkling confetti!
Then, my mother dresses up her two Labradors in both of the competing team colors and creates a large football cake to display until half time. The large cake is chocolate with chocolate frosting in the shape of a football of course. Then friends and extended family start showing up.
Some people come dressed in head to toe team colors, including face paint. Some people dress up like their team’s mascot or even their babies in mascot outfits. Even though it’s an insane party, people are always gracious guest, bringing food, drinks and host and hostess gifts ranging from bouquets of flowers, doggie treats to gift baskets.
It doesn’t even matter when half time is with this big group- people start eating the minute they walk into the door. Therefore, its fun to have food come out at different times of the evening, slow cooked Swedish meatballs could come out later, but chips and salsa could be brought out first. My dad always makes a big deal out of barbequing outside in the cold when it’s not summertime, like he is braving the extreme conditions just for us.
No matter who wins or loses, the Super Bowl invitation is always great to receive and attend the party because no one puts any pressure on anyone to own up to their team or haze each other if one team loses or the other. It’s all about friends and family and old fashion American gluttony and voyeurism to watch vast amounts of money for advertising companies to release their ‘best” commercials.
The women often end up gabbing in the kitchen and sharing old stories or recipes as yet another nacho cheese dip or cocktail wieners comes steaming from the kitchen. More beer and chips than any one household would know what to do with- but we always send home more than we keep at our place.
Even though my parents go a little over board- it’s the memories that stay with you- all with the start of a little invitation. Whether I have a cocktail party, snow shoveling party or just a night in with the ladies, I’m going to make an invitation that shines- first impressions say it all.
