Pierre-Paul Pariseau
"What are your plans for the holidays?"
For those of us with tight-knit families, the answer to that question is often no more than a matter of logistics: Our place or the in-laws'? Serve duck or turkey? When your family's out of town, out of the picture or out of disposable income, however, holiday planning gets a little more complicated. But if you eschew traditional religious celebrating entirely, going against the cultural grain has a distinct advantage: To paraphrase Don Draper in Mad Men's pilot episode, you can do anything you want.
In the spirit of money-saving, tradition-twisting and simply offbeat holiday celebrating, here are a few ideas for bringing your loved ones together to raise a glass to this planet's most recent successful trip around the sun.
Solstice by bike
Bundle up and celebrate the universe, the seasons and the end of another year of life on Earth with one of humankind's most nature-friendly vehicles: the bicycle.
The lake may be frozen over by Dec. 22, which would allow for a truly epic bike ride -- but even if it isn't, a lakeside park or yard will suffice as a destination. Decorate bikes, fill a few thermoses with hot beverages, and invite friends together for an evening ride under the stars, with a bonfire if possible. (That would require a private yard, though Picnic Point's fire rings allow campfires.)
If it's a clear night, some stargazing and constellation-finding goes well with music and storytelling.
Decorating your neighborhood with wreaths, laurels and luminarias will make winter feel magical; perhaps each person lighting a candle can tell a story, share a memory or favorite moment of the year, or a goal for the following year. Making and distributing bird feeders with appropriate seed throughout your community is another heart-warming solstice tradition -- and what could be more Madison than a bike parade of animal lovers?
A nonalcoholic mixology night
Much has been written of Wisconsin's drinking culture and how it often makes those who abstain feel left out.
Turn this on its head with a mixology throwdown. Host a cocktail competition on a theme such as seasonal ingredients, hot toddies, pairings for seasonal films or drinks named for holiday song titles drawn from a hat. Guests can bring ingredients to pool such as cider, tea, coffee, syrup, herbs, spices and garnishes, and could be given a time limit and required to mix drinks in front of the crowd (á la World Bartender Championships) or asked to bring drinks potluck-style and then pass them around. Pair with snacks and conversation.
The catch? No booze allowed. Vote on the best-tasting and most creative drinks, and if the competition is particularly impressive, recipes can be compiled into a keepsake book for attendees to use or give as a holiday gift.
Paper bag dramatics
When I was a child, my neighborhood get-togethers always benefited from my mother's Girl Scout troop leader expertise. In order to keep the kids occupied, line up free entertainment and make creative use of hand-me-downs and giveaway clutter, the grownups would bring bags from their homes filled with an assortment of amusing or offbeat clothes and accessories. (Social responsibility level-up: Inform everyone that the contents of their bags must be in good enough condition to donate to charity, because that's where they're going after the party.)
Once everyone's settled at the event location, with beverages and snacks distributed, the kids are split into groups, assigned a bag and given a specified period of time to conceive and rehearse a short play that must make use of every item in the bag.
The groups then perform their skits for the grownups. Bags can then be switched or reshuffled for a second, third and fourth round of plays, and lighthearted "Oscar" awards -- such as Best Use of an Unknown Object, Most Elaborate Plot or Best Fashion Statement -- can be issued by the "audience." It's especially fun for the youngsters when the skits are recorded and everyone watches them at the end of the night.
And while the kids are off in separate rooms unpacking their bags and rehearsing, adults can socialize with minimal interference. The first rule of paper bag dramatics states that teams who can't perform their skit due to a fight or unhappy participant are disqualified from performing.
Quickfire challenge
Host an Iron Chef-style battle on a budget! Pick a friend with a great kitchen (or an available co-op kitchen) and ask guests to bring a certain dollar amount's worth of groceries -- but it has to be things they'd eat, because everyone will be cooking the food for the party.
Guests can bring their groceries in a plain, numbered bag, then draw numbers to determine which one they get. They can then work in pairs or individually to make a menu, with kitchen staples such as oil and salt available to all. An energetic soundtrack and some extra utensils are key. The prize: bragging rights and immunity from doing the dishes.
