Family, Friends ‘Revel in Ruins’ of Earthquake : Aftermath:’If you’re given lemons, make lemonade,’ hostess says of party at her badly damaged home.

The invitation said not “come as you are,” but “come as you were at 4:31 a.m. Jan. 17.”

But for many of the party-goers who showed up at Irene and Stuart Boyd’s “Revel in the Ruins” party Sunday in the yard of what used to be their Northridge home, that simply wasn’t an option.

“I would’ve come naked if I came in what I was wearing,” said Gary Schneider of Tarzana, who stood by the Boyds’ pool in shorts and a polo shirt.

“This is a family gathering,” laughed Debbie Perez of Sherman Oaks, who wore a shorts-and-blouse outfit. “I don’t think everyone was prepared to see what I was wearing or not wearing.”

The gala July event is a tradition in the Boyd family: all three of their children have July birthdays, and every year they share one big birthday bash with 300 of their closest friends. The affair always revolves around a theme. This year, with the family’s quake-ravaged 6,000-square-foot house little more than cracked walls and piles of bricks awaiting a bulldozer, there was little hesitation about a theme.

“What were we going to do?” asked Irene Boyd. “If you’re given lemons, make lemonade.”

So they dedicated the children’s birthday party to the Northridge earthquake, bought spray paint to let the kids scribble graffiti on one side of the house, and told their friends to come as they were when the pre-dawn quake hit.

Many of the children came in oversized T-shirts and nightgowns, but quickly shed them to jump in the pool.

Lindsay Davis, 10, wore a pink nightgown and slippers, and said she forgot her stuffed animal.

“Yikes, look at the house,” she said as she peered into the entry where a stairway led to the sky. “I thought my house looked bad.”

Party games ranged from the serious--a CPR demonstration and an earthquake preparedness table--to the silly. There was a wheelbarrow of bricks and bowls of paint so children could paint “real rubble” to bring home as souvenirs. Other children spread white T-shirts, emblazoned with “Revel in the Ruins,” on tarp-covered patios and spray-painted them with bright-colored fissures and cracks.

Lyrics like “Rock this town,” “There’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on,” and “I feel the earth move under my feet” blared from a sound system set up on the porch.

“They just continue to party in the face of adversity,” said Kathleen Silverman of Woodland Hills. “They’ve got a lot of courage and spirit.”

The $1-million home, which was Richard Pryor’s before the Boyds bought it five years ago, had no earthquake insurance, said Stuart Boyd. It will be torn down by the city in about two weeks. Meanwhile, the family is living in the one-bedroom guest house. The three children, ages 11, 9 and 6, sleep on the pullout couch.

The family briefly considered skipping the traditional party, but decided it would be a good way to bring people together after the quake.

Many of the guests agreed.

“It’s a good way to turn the page and close it,” said Debbie Perez. “It’s inspirational to everyone else that they can do this.”