This is the kind of night at home that I love: two friends were coming for dinner to make homemade pizza, which became four friends, which became even more friends when the Electric Light Parade got rained out. We live on the route.

And so our night at home became an impromptu backgammon-pizza-dance party in a warm house all lit for Christmas, with friends cooking together in the kitchen while rain hit the windows outside.

How we did it: I bought dough from the neighborhood pizzeria and local sausages from Schreiner’s. (Chris Bianco’s fennel sausage, even.) Michael and Jill brought their fancy pizza-making equipment, and homemade sauce.

We set everything out, and assembled pies at will.

I made the first two pizzas and was promptly fired. Michael McNamara — one of the Republic photographers — has another secret skill. The man can spin some dough.

We all ate about five pieces each.

And we successfully replicated Chris Bianco’s famous Wiseguy, which I haven’t stopped thinking of since. The key is to get the Schreiner’s Sicilian sausage, which he uses, to grill some onionsbeforehand, and to use smoked mozzarella (from Trader Joe’s). No sauce, either — just a smear of olive oil.

Schreiner’s sells pepperoni, too.

No fancy plates, either.

I made a quick salad: greens with parmesan, pomegranate seeds and shallot-cider vinaigrette.

For dessert, T made homemade Butterfinger ice cream, which made for happy friends.

And we passed around my new obsession: Trader Joe’s peppermint-chocolate waffle cookies. They’re tiny. And gorgeous.

And then, games.

And then we danced, and finished the second batch of ice cream, and toasted sweater weather and Christmas to come.