Our theme for the month of March is “How to.”
The winter months in Michigan are brutal.
I don’t remember the exact moment I decided I needed to move to a warmer climate. It’s probably around the same time I spent forty minutes digging out my car in the morning to get to work.
In the winter of 2022 the bright spots in my week were football practice where I got to hit things, shifts where I got to work with my Trader Joe’s crush, and coffee afternoons with my housemate Emma.
It was one of those coffee afternoons on our rare free days where we conceived what might be one of the best parties I’ve ever been to—let alone hosted. Cozied up in one of the little huts Lyon Street Coffee puts out, three friends lamented about how rough this particular winter was. We needed to let loose, blow off some steam, and see our friends. Emma, Ale, and I are a roster destined for giggles and mischief. Those who know me well know my best ideas always start with, “Hear me out.”
“Hear me out—what if we throw a talent show Christmas party?”
There were screams, giggles, and lots of made up words in made up accents in response. We were geeked. Ale said they knew someone who could get us a sound system, so Emma and I drew up a little invite. We quickly begged our other housemates to let us throw it. Then, party planning truly began.
How do you throw a great party?
The invite list is key. You need the right blend of ‘we all know each other, but there is room for something wild to happen.’ Our age gap lent itself nicely to gathering a crew of folks who would be in town who didn’t all completely know each other but also folks who knew how to have a good time.
Multiple—but not overplanned—activity spaces are needed. Guest don’t want to just sit around: they want to wander, be surprised, and maybe get into something they aren’t supposed to. Let me map it out for you. We had a cute little library/nook area that lent nicely to quieter conversation. The dining room was where we had a dance floor and all the drinks and snacks. The living room was our performance area. We had a covered front porch where folks could get away. Lastly, our laundry room was decked out in all of these handmade leading signs to get someone to come in, and then BAM, mistletoe. We called it our makeout room.
No one thought that was nearly as hilarious as Emma and I did.
Booze and snacks are arguably the most essential to our function. I threw together a punch that was perfectly deceptive in hiding the Costco bottle of whiskey and triple sec. I added some oranges, lemons, cranberries, and a couple of bottles of the Wassail drink from Trader Joe’s.
The punch disappeared quickly.
The night started with me making a board game for our guests to enjoy, using whatever I could find in the room around me as game pieces. The spaces were filled with things like: drink if you’re the tallest, choose who drinks, finish your drink if you hate The Office, finish your drink if you love The Office. You get it. Then, as our guests arrived, we made them drinks, and they had to answer lots of would-you-rathers from around the room. As more and more people arrived, the playlist was bumping, the punch was punching, and laughter was all around.
Now, it was time to wander.
I found myself outside with a rotating group of folks who had a good deal of the punch to warm us up. My best friends were getting married that summer, and in that rotating circle of folks, at least three people got invited to that wedding who weren’t already invited. I viewed the beginnings of a relationship form. I also had the chance to gas up my friend who got a new job. New friendships had blossomed. During this time, I missed my cue to open the talent show with my not-so-tight five.
I didn’t think our living room could hold that many people. I heard some pretty extraordinary renditions of No Scrubs and Sweet Caroline when the talent show devolved into karaoke.
My friend Ezra and I do a pretty fantastic rendition of Meredith Brooks’ Bitch. We’re both pop stars trapped in mediocre karaoke bodies.
I forgot about all of my troubles and fell into fellowship. I watched long looks that seemed to never end. My couch swallowed me with limbs intertwined with friends—friends I miss dearly. We asked questions we wouldn’t dare ask in the daylight and got answers that create a fuller picture of the friends we know. Everyone got home safe and happy.
When you find friends who keep you warm and bright in the dead of winter—keep them close.
Izzy Nunez graduated from Calvin in 2022 after studying graphic design and sociology. Today she lives in Durham, North Carolina where she is a graphic designer for Duke University. She is growing to love Durham and all its southern charm even if she complains that its breakfast choices aren’t as good as they are in the Grand Rapids.
