Have you ever done paint by numbers? I mean have you ever done one after kindergarten? I tried one recently with the hope of learning, in some small way, how to actually paint for real.

It didn’t work and I have come to the dramatic realization that I am no Picasso. Not even close. In fact, I’m not even the kid in kindergarten who can color within the lines. I’m that bad at anything in the artistic realm. Even my stick figures look like horribly disfigured abominations.

I feel much the same way when I go to an event that is spectacular. Some people really just have a talent for putting together a celebration. I have come, more and more, to the realization that this is a talent that is artistic in nature and the events that they put together are works of art.

For a little while I believed that being submerged in the presence of such individuals would rub off on me. It hasn’t. I’m constantly reminded of that fact every time I attend a party or an event that is thrown by someone who really knows what they are doing.

I recently had an “I would have never thought of that moment” at a friend’s 25th anniversary. Both my friend and his wife are architects. They design buildings and homes. Where you could even begin to do something like that I have no idea. I tried building a fort once out of pillows and a blanket; within five minutes the city declared it structurally unsound and made me destroy it.

Despite their artistic and visionary natures, my friends happen also to be somewhat simple in their personal lives. They aren’t extravagant, nor are they flamboyant in their tastes. I knew that their anniversary party would be perfect without being showy.

I was right. The gathering took place at their home (which, of course, they designed and built). There were many people there: family, friends, business associates, etc.. Food stations had been set up in different parts of the house. At first, I couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t decided on a single buffet area or something similar. When I got closer to the first station, I discovered why.

When I picked up the plate I was surprised to see that it was a triangle shape. I’d never seen a plate like that before. All of the food at this station had also been cut and shaped in the form of a triangle. The shapes were natural; it wasn’t as if they had taken a hamburger and pressed it into a triangular shape. There were pies, quiche, and the like here.

Across the room a food station was set up with oval dishes. Again, the food had been prepared to naturally match the shape of the plate it was being served in. As I stood at this station and looked back at the “triangle station”, I realized it had been placed below two magnificent wooden beams that started at the floor and met each other at the ceiling in the shape of a triangle.

Similarly, the other food stations complimented some feature in the home. Rectangles, hexagons, squares, cubes . . . you name it.

I had been to my friend’s house many times. I had always admired the beauty of their house. I had seen everything before, but this was the first time that the shapes of the house started to stand out to me. The way that they had been placed together or used as juxtapositions was remarkable.

All that time I had never seen it for the piece of art that it really was and it finally took some shaped dinner plates to open my eyes.

Art. Plain and simple.

I’ll never be able to come up with things like that. It just isn’t in my nature. I’m glad that there are people out there who see the world so differently and can make things like this for the rest of us to enjoy!

So here we are: The first Wednesday of December.

Bust out the eggnog and your best stress-management techniques! It’s time to get real about the Holidays.

A long time ago, I subscribed to the belief that the best way to throw a Christmas or Holiday party was to go to someone else’s Christmas or Holiday Party.

You may agree. You may not.

I’ve seen holiday parties go down from both sides of the serving dish. I’ve watched as my own family events have degenerated into a Chevy Chase, National Lampoon-like disaster . . . only without the laughs or the cute, albeit confused, aunt who sings the Star Spangled Banner instead of saying grace.

I’ve watched my mother literally blink out of existence after my uncle asked her if she had enough sense to buy organic eggnog. Seriously. One minute she was there, the next she wasn’t. She reappeared two days later without a word, looking at us all with a jaundiced eye. We’ve never, ever talked about it.

I’ve been to some great holiday parties and some not-so-great parties. It’s almost a cliché to talk about the person, or persons as the case may be, who have a little too much to drink at the company holiday party and make some bad decisions regarding secret crushes or hatred for bosses . . . but I’ve seen it happen. I once saw two coworkers almost come to blows over the correct pronunciation of some lake in Michigan.

Yes, there’s something about the Holidays that can bring out the crazy. The way I see it, something has to balance out the stress. That’s fine, but it’s always a good idea to make sure that your memories of this time of year are happy ones.

It’s easy to get caught up in all of it, but it’s very important to have fun. The best holiday party I ever attended was, at the beginning, the most confusing thing I’ve ever seen.

I had a girlfriend once whose family had started a tradition of having themed Christmas Parties. There was only one rule: have fun with it. They did.

That particular year’s theme was Santa’s reindeer. I had no idea what it meant. I literally thought that I was supposed to dress up as a reindeer. When I asked her about it my girlfriend would say: “Have fun with it. Be creative.”

My creativity with Santa’s reindeer amounted to some cheap reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose. I’m good like that.

When I got to the party no one was dressed like a reindeer . . . they weren’t even close. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t a reindeer in sight.

I walked up to my girlfriend who was dressed in a red leotard, a tutu, leg warmers and ballet slippers. She saw the confused look on my face, laughed and said, “I’m Dancer. Get it?!”

I did.

Her uncle had on a football helmet with some decent sized football pads underneath his Christmas sweater. He looked at me and said one word: Blitzen.

The cousin with the bow and arrow and little angel wings was Cupid, of course. Others were dressed in similar ways. The real rage of the party was my girlfriend’s father who came down the stairs dressed head to toe in his wife’s close clothes, adorned in jewelry and complete makeup. Everyone stood there looking at him until someone finally shouted out, “VIXEN!!” He blew a kiss, winked and strutted around to thunderous applause.

It was a great deal of fun.

It wasn’t the most traditional party I’d ever been to, but it was one of the best. Don’t be afraid to stretch the limits this Holiday Season . . . and please don’t be the person who tells off their boss at the company party . . . or just shows up with a red clown nose and a cheap pair of reindeer antlers.

Apparently, despite the bad economy, love is in the air.

Recent statistics from The Knot show that weddings and marriage related events are flourishing. However, there are some very interesting trends that may surprise people about these timeless events.

Here are some average statistics at a glance:

• Cost per wedding (excluding the honeymoon): $26,984
• Cost per wedding dress: $1,099
• Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24%
• Bride’s Age: 29
• Groom’s Age: 31
• Number of Guests: 141
• Average cost per guest at a wedding: $194
• Number of Bridesmaids: 4
• Number of Groomsmen: 4
• Length of Engagement: 14 months
• Most Popular Engagement Month: December (16%)
• Most Popular Wedding Month: June (15%)
• Most Popular Wedding Color: White/Ivory (43%)

This spectacular wedding, held at the Omphoy in Palm Beach, showcases Atlas Party Rental's linen, china, chargers, glassware, flatware and much more.

Filmed + Edited by www.lafrancefilms.com, Desinged by Brooke @ The Ultimate Event Planner.