Holiday Encore: An Epiphany Party Extravaganza
While most people were packing away their Christmas trees and swearing off sugar this time of year, we like to take a slightly different approach at my house: keep the fun going. Epiphany, held 12 days after Christmas, marks the arrival of the Three Wise Men who followed the Star of Bethlehem to visit baby Jesus, and is the official end of the Christmas season—basically a built-in reason for one last holiday gathering. After the beautiful chaos of December (where every weekend is at least double-booked and no one can remember what day it is), we decided to give ourselves a breather and save our celebration for January. Because honestly…why should the holidays end when everyone finally has the time and energy to enjoy them?
Enough talk—let the photos do the celebrating! Here’s a peek at our Epiphany party, where good friends, laughter, and a little leftover holiday magic were in abundance.
Naturally, follow the star. (For a good time).
George and Charlie, who could not decide if they were co-hosts, or guests of honor. Either way, they had a high time.
For me, the cornerstone of any gathering is making sure everyone is fed and watered (i.e., good food and great drinks). For this soiree, we hired a bartender and did our best to come up with a whimsical and tasty menu. On the buffet:
Shrimp Cocktail Christmas Tree
Vegetable Crudite Wreath with Dill Dip
Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Horseradish Cream
Charcuterie Chalet (courtesy of my wonderful friend Jason)
Basil Pesto Puff Pastry Trees
Ski Doughnut Mountain
Christmas King Cake (straight from Haydel’s Bakery in New Orleans)
Snickerdoodle cookies (fresh my Rhonda’s wonderful mama)
Cheese wafers, bourbon balls, rosemary mixed nuts, and spiced pecans
We made a version of this shrimp tree for a retro cocktail party several years ago and Clint has wanted to make it again ever since. Tah-dah!
Jason said his “chalet” turned into more of a cottage (thanks, Pinterest). It’s still adorable!
And frankly, this doughnut mountain with the skiers was just too much of a gimmick for yours truly to resist making.
Epiphany is also called Three Kings Day, so there had to be a Christmas king cake.
Everyone wanted to find the baby and get their hands on that crown….
Julie found the baby! She was our Queen for the evening!
Julie, here’s hoping this brings you extra luck in 2026!
In addition to all the usual bar offerings, we had some specialty cocktails to honor our theme.
And Donnell, our fantastic bartender, served them up.
Clint, getting ready for his party trick: sabering a bottle of champagne. Cheers, y’all!
Still rocking around this Christmas tree….Clint and me with Patrick, Julie, Patricia, and Ron.
The invitation said dress was “festive.” I think we accomplished that.
Sadly, we are missing a couple of ladies who could not attend, but these are my beloved “Gym Gems,” the women I love working out with each week. Nancy, Martha, and Rosie make my Mondays and Wednesdays my favorite days.
We let our spouses get in on the act, too. I suppose these are the Gym Gem Gentlemen?
Sweet Charlie had a rough week, which included eye surgery, but he rebounded amazingly well and was ready for a party.
Meanwhile, George spent as much quality time as possible with his “godparents,” Clayton and Robin.
We are so lucky to have neighbors who are also our friends. Peter, Lori and Jon came to help with our last hoorah.
Holiday spirit level: still going strong with Katie our dog whisperer, Tamaryn, Melissa, Jonas, Katie who makes it all look easy, and Heidi.
Found: the people who make January fun. (Also known as Martha, Ron, Zoran, and Rosie).
I guess this makes Julie and Patrick the royal couple!
Buddy and Marc did come in “festive” dress—just festively dressed for watching the Carolina Panthers in the playoff game that evening. They are the definition of, “Who says the fun ends in December?”
If it looks like Nancy is going to keep them out of trouble…you have not met Nancy.
Chris and Marc giving off “last party of the season” energy like they mean it.
Our neighbor Heidi asked me what “festive” dress meant, and then showed up looking this gorgeous!
Six women, one last party, and zero plans to let the holidays end quietly. There’s no chance of a silent night with Patricia, Karen, Julie, Tam, and Heidi.
Nancy, Jason, Peter, and Robin caught mid-sip and mid-story.
Tamaryn, Jason, and Rhonda. They came for the king cake and stayed for the good times.
I have to say a special “thank you” to my fabulous friend Rhonda for taking so many wonderful pictures. We will just title this collage “Rhonda Loves Some Selfies” and leave it at that.
By the end of the night, even the snowman knew it was about time to let the season melt away….
I am so glad our aunt Melody told me anecdotes of an annual Epiphany party friends of hers used to host years ago, which served as our initial inspiration for hosting our own (thank you, Melody!). As we sat down with a plate of leftovers and listened to a few more Christmas songs before bed Saturday night, I couldn’t help but smile at how sweet it was to wrap the holiday season surrounded by our favorite people. January is usually a down time for me in every way—melancholy because the fun is over, and doldrums because the regular old routine has settled back in again. The Epiphany party extended the magic.
We laughed, we sipped, we crowned ourselves a “royal,’ and we managed to stretch out the season just a touch longer. I have a feeling the Epiphany party is going to become an annual tradition…because starting the new year with good friends is one of the best gifts of all.