An open letter to those considering skipping our holiday party.

Yes, the idea seems a little odd. We are doing an afternoon Christmas pajama party that starts late and ends early. Why? Perhaps .....
- in order to take people a little out of their comfort zone. And into "THE COMFORT ZONE"
- because afternoon drinking when it's cold out is awesome.
- because the comfort or scandal of sleepwear is awesome.
- because Holiday music is awesome.
- because Will Ferrell in Elf, Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation, and Ralphie from Christmas Story ..... ALL AWESOME

Joe L. wants Mulled Wine. Done.
Joe F. wants Cider. Done. Yes, it will be spiked.
Kevin wants Nog. (in more ways than one). Done.
I want hot chocolate. With various options for spiking it. And no marshmallows. Done. Done. Done.
Akira hasn't said what festive drink he wants, but i found a traditional one that will blow him (and you) away. Trust me.

Now, maybe this isn't interesting to everyone, but would it be so bad to witness any of the following:
A rematch of Machine vs Nemesis playing flip cup, only this time instead of beer followed by sparks followed by vodka, it goes spiked cider -> mulled wine -> nog?

(Speaking of nog, what happens if you mix in vodka instead of rum? I don't know. Why don't we find out together?)

or Pfil's Briefcase faction vs. Shultz's Briefcase faction in a rematch of Survivor Style Shoulders, only instead of Cook's beer and jello shots, they have spiked Hot Chocolate to contend with. We can even entice the Fighting Irish by spiking the drinks with Irish Whiskey and/or Irish cream. Imagine the wagers Shultz will come up with when confronted with party-goers in sleepwear along with plenty of delicious warming drinks and baked goods. I make a pretty good cinnamon-sugar cookie. Can Shultz find a price for someone to consume 2 dozen of them along with a gallon of nog in less than 10 minutes?

Speaking of the Irish, the South Bend contingent should definitely make the trip. I don't know if our little party can compete with Studebagels and the Oyster Bar, but, c'mon, I've seen Claire sleep in partywear, I can only imagine Claire partying in sleepwear. That's got to be worth a trip.

Baked goods? Actually baked by yours truly? Done. Savory things with enticing names like holiday cheese buds, sweet things with names like Mocha Fantasy Cookies. Baked. From scratch. A little crazy? Perhaps. That's how we roll.

There are no good excuses not to come in something recognizable as sleepwear, but two that I've heard that are particularly lame:
1) "I don't wear pajamas to sleep in." Fine. Get pajamas for the party. They're not expensive. Or, wear what you sleep in. Or what your significant other sleeps in. Or what Cousin Eddie sleeps in. I don't care. The thing is, not many people know what you sleep in, so be creative.

2) "I'm going somewhere afterwards, so I can't come in pajamas." Um, what? 2 things. 1) go to your after party event in your pajamas. That would be sweet. But, I understand that Gibson's might not like that. If you have to go somewhere dressed in non-sleepwear, We have 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. If you can't find a place to change, you're not looking hard enough.

To sum up: Holiday cheer. Holiday Libations. Holiday cookies. Holiday craziness. Snow and cold outside. Warmth and pajamas inside. Nightgowns, stocking caps, robes, togas, football jerseys as nightshirts, slippers, night masks, flannel everywear.

See you all there. 1pm - 7pm Saturday. No excuses.

PS. Has anyone tried shotgunning eggnog?

3) "I don't wear anything to sleep."

Ummm.. ok.

What wrong with sleeping in nothing. Not everyone can own stylish sweatpants in aqua AND purple.

You have obviously never seen Akira comfy at home....

I hadn't seen that, but I just looked. Very nice. I don't think I'll be getting 62 1/2 percent imported chocolate. But I like the rum plus coffee liqueur idea.

I have bad news children...uncle mike has to go shopping with momma "where's my michael!" denardis during the day, but please, please somebody buy some children's underoo's and bust them out. schultz, this sounds right in your wheel-house. i was always partial to batman. i'll try to meet up with you guys later.

Not as your date, of course. It'll be a family friendly party. With alcohol.