PARTY TIME
christmas cheer
ANNUAL RIDGEWOOD ORNAMENT SWAP PUTS NEW SPIN ON TREE TRIMMING
WRITTEN BY AMELIA DUGGAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MARKSBURY
W
THINKSTOCK
hat happens when you get about
50 women, good food and drink,
superior conversation and a whole
lot of bags and boxes containing an
assortment of Christmas ornaments?
Mirth, merriment and mayhem.
Each December, Ridgewood’s Liz Kloak invites friends,
family and business colleagues to her charming century
home to partake in an annual ritual that simply explodes
with holiday cheer – the ornament swap.
As one of Ridgewood’s unofficial holiday kick-off parties,
guests are invited to attend – but only if they arrive bearing a bag or box with an ornament inside. The ornament
can be silly or sentimental, but by the time the evening is
through, each and every one is coveted by its owner. Every
guest gets a number when she arrives and is invited in turn
to select a package – but that’s not where it ends. A guest
can steal another’s ornament if she likes it better, rather
than select from the remaining inventory. It’s not over until
the last number has been called and the very last ornament
selected, with nary a clunker in the bunch. ●
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 | (201) FAMILY
201magazine.com