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ANNABEL COHEN

Special to The Jewish News

I

have vivid

memories of my
mother's parties of the late
' 1960s. I call it "post traumat-
ic morn's parry syndrome.''
- The parties, of course, were per-
fect. The house, spotless. The food,
prepared, in extravagant amounts,
was always well ahead of schedule.
The tables, like a Hollywood set,
were arranged three days ahead.
Dad was sent on bogus errands, just
so he'd be out of mom's hair those
last precious moments before guests
arrived.
And, just before show time, we
three girls were scrubbed, hair still
wet, and dressed in our best PJs so
that we would be paraded in front
of the guests before being exiled to
our parents' room to watch prime-
time TV.
Mom, of course, was possessed
whenever she gave a party and,
sometimes, downright mean. We
always wondered why she even was
having a parry, since it was obvious-
ly no fun for her at all.
Now that I'm all grown up, I
understand. Entertaining can be
very nerve-racking. Intellectually we
know that the people coming are
our friends — they're just glad to
be invited. Emotionally, we feel the
pressure to perform.
It's what West Bloomfield parry
planner Andrea Solomon calls stage
fright. "People are worried about
whether the party will be successful
or fun," said Solomon.
Janice Cherkansky and partner
Marcy Tucker-Colman, owners of
Gourmet Parties in Franklin, sug-

I

Invitations for a
formal party
at home
are a must, says
Andrea Solomon.

Inset: A unique
way to use
a placecard.

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MINEMEMS&WAL.-

How to enjoy being a host at your own affair.

4/9

1999

C40 Detroit Jewish News