You’ve got to give it to her. My mother is good at MANY things, great at even more, but throwing a party is somewhere near the top of the list. She comes from a line of competent hostesses (my grandparents used to throw legendary New Year’s Eve bashes, Thanksgivings with like a billion people; all kinds of entertaining happening Chez Ferris) so she learned at the helm of The Great. This party was no exception; throwing it back and honoring the former Hostess with the Mostest (my grandmother), my mother  used the vintage melamine dishes and flatware that had been lovingly saved and stored from the aforementioned New Year’s Eve extravangazas of years past – no paper goods at this party! As her Mad Men-loving BFF was approaching a milestone birthday, Angela decided to go all out and throw her a surprise shindig, the likes of which Pinterest had not yet seen (nor conquered). This party was one for the ages. Also, these gals stayed up past 1am, way past my bedtime, confirming my suspicions that a. I am practically elderly and b. Swing Dance enthusiasts party like none other. I had seen this previously – Angetron has thrown quite the birthday party for herself in years past, and these guys get down. And stay up way late.

She recruited me to help with the party planning; of course, I gladly obliged, and not only designed the invitations (what fun!) but also paparazzi-d the event itself, both in the form of snapping candids and running the photo booth, replete with props! I also did dishes. Lots of dishes. But hey, that was a woman’s place in the 60s, right? #idigress

It was a ton of fun – mom went ALL OUT on the decor, borrowing rotary phones and vintage cameras (courtesy of the ultimate collector of vintage things, Karen Stewart), old Life magazines & vintage magazine ads, and of course, she devised a menu full of 60s favorites: martinis, ambrosia, ham, green bean casserole, coleslaw, mac n’ cheese, shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, Chex Mix, and, the piece de resistance of the meal, Jello Salad. Not entirely sure what everyone’s obsession in the 60s was with ensconcing things in jello, but I’m glad that went out of style, because gross. Also, there were fake cigarettes a plenty and Rat Pack Tunes galore (note, like Felix, which I learned several weeks back, Sweet Captain is also not a fan of the Louis Armstrong version of “It’s A Wonderful World.” Just trust me on this. Don’t ask questions.) Everybody was dressed to the nines, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the list of people who kick ass with a beehive hairdo can now be updated as follows: 1. Amy Winehouse; 2. Marge Simpson; 3. Angela Chambers.

AND the night would not have been complete without a quiz. Paying homage to the greats of the Silver Screen Era, my mother conspired with Pam’s daughter to create “How Well Do You Know Pam Reynolds??????” (yes, the 6 question marks ARE necessary….). It wasn’t quite The Newlywed Game, and it sure wasn’t Password or The $64,000 Challenge, but it sure was something. Guests competed to win the honor of a giftcard for dinner and drinks, and the title of “Pam’s New BFF.”

All in all, it was a great night! Happy Birthday, Pam! Great job, mom! Enjoy the photos below!