Gathering: Showing Simple Hospitality

 

The holidays are approaching quickly (hello, two months until Christmas!!) and that means the chance of hosting people in our homes could be increasing just as quickly. I love having guests – whether for a meal or to stay the night – but I know it can feel intimidating to some. I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips for showing simple hospitality without losing your sanity!

ONE. Remember it’s your home, not a hotel or restaurant. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a house that is cleaned up, picked up, and looking its best or with wanting to serve tasty meals, but there’s no need to pressure yourself to offer hotel and restaurant-level quality. Your guests probably aren’t expecting literal chocolates on their pillows or perfectly plated meals. What they are expecting is to walk into a place that feels like home and reminds them of someone they love: you! So do your best, for sure, but have realistic expectations. It will help your mind and your guests will be just as happy!

TWO. Show your guests you thought of them. Even though you don’t have to go overboard with perfectionism, it’s great to add little touches to let your friends and family know you thought of them. We keep a supply of kid stuff on hand for when our friends with kids come over. We have kid-friendly tableware, a portable booster seat, some toys, and even a pack n play, so we can accommodate their little ones easily. We keep decaf coffee pods on hand for our friends who prefer that. We also have an assortment of teabags for the non-coffee drinkers. If there are little things you know your guests enjoy, have those things on hand and let them feel that little extra bit of love.

THREE. Offer cozy touches. When we hosted small group in our home back in Kokomo, one of the girls in our group was always cold. Always. No matter how warm the house was, she was cold. So I started pulling out the electric throw blanket every time we had small group, and she knew she could count on it to keep her warm. Little cozy touches go a long way. Have throw blankets and extra pillows. Turn on some ambient lighting or light a fire in the fireplace. If someone is coming for a while, have some books or magazines ready for them – or a white noise machine in their room.

FOUR. Serve and let them serve. When people come here, Ryan and I do our best to serve them well. We seek to anticipate their needs and make them feel totally loved while they’re here. But we also want them to feel like our house is their house. If they need something and they know where we keep it, we want them to feel free to help themselves. It always makes us so happy when they feel at home enough to open a cabinet door and grab whatever they need! We try to make every visit a combination of both!

FIVE. Just be honest! When people come over to your house, give them a tour. Show them where things are located, and if there is a spot you’d prefer they leave alone, say so at the beginning to avoid any surprises. If you have any house rules, like no shoes inside or no food/drink in certain rooms, you can mention that too. (Sometimes these boundaries come across more gently if you explain why. For example…we don’t do shoes in the house, because we live in Amish country and the roads are littered with...deposits.) If you go over the important things at the start, you are unlikely to encounter awkward conversations later!

 

            ENJOY your time with friends and family this holiday season! Don’t let hospitality stress you to the point of not being able to embrace the blessing of having guests in your home.