This was our first in-person murder party in two years, and I was almost afraid to look forward to it in case it didn’t actually happen (we postponed it a couple weeks so people could have a chance to get their boosters, plus we had everyone take an antigen test the day of the party…if anyone had come up positive, we would’ve been screwed!)

But it all worked out in the end. I went all-in on decorations, as usual, which this year meant getting Justin to spend three hours helping me put up stone walls. The overall effect was so amazing that I’m seriously considering painting that whole room a darker colour.

I managed to repurpose some items, too. The long table with the burgundy tablecloth, greenery, and candles is exactly what we used for both the Roman party in 2018 and the farytale party in 2013 (yes, we’ve been doing these parties for that long!) The wall banners with the shields were originally from the Roman party, too; the opposite sides feature a gold laurel wreath design.

Food was great: chicken drumsticks, cabbage, beef bourguignon, bread, and a delicious apple-cinnamon type dessert. No one seemed to mind that we didn’t have forks (in true medieval style). We got by OK with just knives and spoons.

Over the years we’ve set a pretty high bar for costumes, and this year was another showcase of awesomeness. One of the knights teaches at a high school that has an actual medieval armoury class, and he was able to scam some authentic armour. It was impressive, but seriously heavy, and he could only get out of it with the help of two people. Guess that’s why knights had squires.

Such a fun night!