Kiddie Feast A Smashed Potato Success

The menu was eclectic.
The atmosphere was fantastic.
The presentation was superb.
The service was excellent.
The only thing missing was the Ping-Pong table.
It was my son's idea to have a feast like the one in "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special," which aired on TV last night for what I estimate to be the 35th time.
A few weeks ago, when we started talking about Thanksgiving, my 5-year-old - Curt, who fell in love with the TV special last year and watched it on video numerous times right into the new year - announced that he wanted to have a dinner just like Charlie's.
So why the heck not?
We sent out colorful invitations to his friends and classmates.
On Saturday, I set up a big table in the grass in the back yard. The feast menu was buttered toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks and jelly beans, just like Charlie and Snoopy served. Curt requested "smashed potatoes," so we had that, too.
We even had mismatched chairs, just like they do on the TV special. The only other difference, besides the smashed potatoes, was no Ping-Pong table and a green, instead of white, tablecloth.
I figured only a couple of kids would show up Saturday for the feast, but the turnout was overwhelming. Cars packed our driveway and spilled out into the street, and our back yard was filled with kids and moms.
The kids went nuts for the food, too, gobbling down taters, toast and the rest of it as if they hadn't eaten in days.
The cost of the whole thing was minimal. It required only a little cooking, and setup and cleanup were a breeze.
The party goers deemed it a success and requested that we make it an annual event, which we will.
Charlie, whose feast guests were not nearly as gracious, would be proud.
Maybe I'll score a Ping-Pong table for next year.