Ladies Night

I hosted a neighborhood ladies night at my house this past week. There were nine of us all together, and we had a Yankee Swap, and it was a blast. During the evening, every one of my buddies came up to me and said, "Thanks for doing this...I REALLY needed this."

Getting together with the girls is such a release. Yes, we complain about the repetitive schedules of our lives, schlepping kids here and there, cleaning, laundry. Yes, we also brag about our kids -- who got honors and who made what team. We crack jokes at our husband's expense, mostly about snoring and clueless Christmas shopping. We even delve into our emotional states, noting that as our teenage daughters display a wide range of emotions, we mirror those as we go through our life changes. But mostly, we just laugh.

These are the ladies I met at pre-school and kindergarten when we said those teary goodbyes as we left our children for the morning. Many of our friendships started with coffee, or a spontaneous dinner when we fed the kids chicken nuggets and french fries. We're a tight knit group. We've vacationed together, organized fundraisers, and taken each other's kids for weekends. We are each other's emergency contacts. And, we've seen each other through life's major landmarks, like the birth of children and the death of parents. These days, we're commiserating over unemployment, the economy and the stress of what we're going to do to fulfill our lives as our children grow and eventually move on into their own lives.

But this week, things were light. For my Yankee Swap gift, I got an ornament and some cashmere gloves. As I placed the ornament on my tree and looked around my house, I recognized that so many of my Christmas decorations were from our Holiday Ladies Nights of the past. Looking back, I think this was our 10th. And, I know, no matter where we end up, we will easily have 10 or 20 more! So, here's to girlfriends, one of the best gifts my life has given me! Happy Holidays!