Hey Islandchick.
This is how I view these sorts of situations....with the attitude of, "oh boy, how many really expensive Atkins-approved stuff will I be able to eat there?....for free?"
When my son got married in August...sure, I couldn't eat quite of few of the lovely things at the reception. BUT.....I went crazy at the seafood bar where they had rock crab claws, jumbo shrimp, Alaskan king crab legs, raw oysters, etc.....things I could rarely afford to buy for myself.
Any opportunity to eat really expensive approved items, that I cannot usually afford to eat very often....is great fun for me. Things like expensive seafood/shellfish, prosciutto/mozzarella rolls, lox pinwheels or any sort of lox, expensive cheeses, expensive cuts of meat, exotic grilled vegetables, etc.
Most of us are busy...with jobs, etc....and don't really have time to make all sorts of fancy variations of Atkins-approved foods....not to mention, being able to regularly afford many of the ingredients. Who can afford to buy prime rib or jumbo shrimp very often? And IMO, variation is the key when it comes to sticking with the plan.....and any opportunity to get something different, something we did not make ourselves or was professionally prepared, something we could not usually afford....can be a real help with maintaining variety.
So this is how I view parties, huge family or holiday dinners, eating out, etc....as an opportunity to get something different....and hopefully, something quite expensive that I love but can rarely afford. Heck, even backyard family barbecues can provide all sorts of grilled meats and who the heck normally has time to cook out on the grill regularly? And I focus on that, rather than on all the stuff I won't be able to have.
See...I would have told you to prepare things you know are allowed and take them with you so you'll have something to eat there. But to me, that's no fun. I get to eat my own food all the time. The fun is in getting to eat stuff I didn't make....and in my experience, there is ALWAYS something, often quite a few things, we can eat at these parties, dinners, etc.
deena
(I luv Christmas)