Set Up a Ladies' Night Out in Your Neighborhood

Are you lamenting that you don't know any of your neighbors? Would you like to get to know some of your neighbors? Having a "Ladies Night Out" is a no frills, low stress way to get to know some of the ladies in your neighborhood. I have made some wonderful friends, and it's always nice to get out of the house...and not have to drive anywhere...very relaxing! Here's how to set one up.

• Set up a day/time; try to pick a weekend evening or Sunday afternoon

• I make up a flyer with the specifics of who, where, when, what; plan for a light meal of appetizers, desserts and finger food (to make it easier on you, you can request that everyone bring one of those items)

• Deliver the flyers by posting them at the front door of your neighbors

• Make sure you personally talk to your immediate neighbors about the event to drum up some interest (you may encounter some resistance at first; even if you only have a few neighbors come, it's a start)
  

The key is that this is supposed to be a fun, low-key, low-stress event. I had actually done this "Ladies Night Out" in my last neighborhood, and somewhere along the line, the ladies hosting started picking up themes. One time we did facials, another the hostess' mother from India cooked us a big Indian meal and gave us henna tattoos on our hands. We also did a white elephant gift exchange, ornament exchange and a cookie exchange. A few times we even just met up at a local restaurant, whatever the hostess wants to do. In the neighborhood I currently live in, a friend of mine really took the reins and planned the first few events to get us started, and it just snowballed from there. A different lady volunteers every month and lets everyone know by email when and where the next event is. We even had a glamour night one time where we dressed up in our evening gowns, walked the catwalk and danced the night away under a disco ball in a neighbor's living room! The hostess gets to decide what we do! Even if it's just sitting around and just relaxing a bit. Almost anything goes!

If you've ever had a similar event in your neighborhood, I'd like to hear about it. What are your thoughts on having a neighborhood event just for the ladies?

Graphic courtesy of artvex.com