Fight the darkening season by getting friends together. You can get everyone involved by hosting a bring-dish party, where everyone brings something. The host's responsibility is to make all the pieces fit. The key is good instructions. Everyone participating needs to know what kind of a dinner it will be. They should have an idea what others are making so there aren't unwelcome clashes of tastes. Naturally they also need to know which course, or part of which course, they will contributing to. When everyone brings a little something, the whole will hold surprises for everyone.