THANKSGIVING 2008 - Thank you, Thank you very much

Dad - Posing wearing his "Win Me" Sash!

Carol - Showing off one of her Auction Prizes she Won!

Nick, Adam and Abby Playing Roulette

Dad, Travis and Jesi Playing Blackjack against the dealer Steve

Our Casino Dining Lounge

On Thanksgiving this last year we decided to put our party planning chops to work and create a Thanksgiving celebration to remember. And what better way to pay tribute to our fore fathers than a Las Vegas themed party. OK, so maybe there are better ways to pay tribute but it was certainly fun!

The invitation to any party sets the tone for what the guests should expect and in keeping with that, we had the perfect idea: Invitations hand delivered by an Elvis impersonator (well, actually, it was my husband dressed as Elvis, but whatever). The guest list included our family and extended family of about 25 people. You can imagine everyone's confused amusement when they opened the door to find Elvis standing there!

The menu was traditional Thanksgiving fare - turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing - the works. But that's where the conventionality ended. We set the living room to create a lounge effect, with round tables and candles. As people arrived, they were given a packet of the night's events and their gambling "money". After dinner the games began!

There was roulette, blackjack, Texas Hold'em, a putting game and even a spare bedroom set up as a private lounge where people could try their hand at Guitar Hero or just chill out.

The games lasted a couple hours and afterwards came the auction. There were tons of "prizes", some were pretty good and some were a little silly, but it just added to the fun. Some of the prizes included an Incognito Basket filled with wigs, an Indiana Jones hat a whip, and a Groucho nose and glasses; there was a basket of body lotions and soaps; there was even a cash prize! (OK, so it was just a jar of spare change.)

The hit of all the prizes was the raffle, however. It was "Win a Date with Dad", where the holder of the winning raffle ticket got to go to dinner with the 80-year-old head of the family to his favorite restaurant, Denny's (a gift card to the restaurant was also included). Be sure to check out the picture of him wearing his "Win Me" sash!

So, you can probably tell by now, we love to throw parties, whether they're large formal events or small family gatherings. We especially love to add unique, creative touches that will have guests leaving with a smile on their face.