I talked before about what hospitality is and why I think everyone should do it. I lightly touched on the how. Now I want to go more in depth about the how of hospitality.
How someone practices hospitality is going to be different for everyone. There isn’t just one way to entertain guests in your home. The first step is to decide what you want to do while your guests are in your home. A sit down dinner? A cook out? A game night? A movie screening? inviting others in to share your hobby? A friendly cornhole, croquet, or volleyball tournament? Those are just a few things you can do when you have guests over. Everyone’s list will be different. Make sure that your family enjoy’s the activity that you are planning. Your guests won’t have a good time if your family isn’t.
How to Show Hospitality in the Home
Deciding what to do with your guests is the easy part of entertaining. For most people. You may have guests that you have no idea what kinds of activities that they would enjoy. In that case, just feed them. lol You’ll get to know them better while talking over dinner, then you can plan something next time.
After you decide what you want to do, decide who you think will be a good fit to invite. For example, if someone has severe outdoor allergies, you don’t want to invite them to a cookout. Or if someone is allergic to the family pet, you don’t want to invite them to spend hours in your house for dinner and a movie. If the family you invite has small children, a formal sit down meal with multiple forks and fancy food probably isn’t a good idea
Make sure your planned activities are suitable for the ages you are inviting. You probably wouldn’t want to show a scary movie to a family with young children. A couple with no children may not enjoy that animated animal movie very much.
Themed get togethers are fun for everyone. If you are going to be watching a movie with your guests, plan the food and other activities around the movie. The Olympics, other sporting events, and award shows lend themselves well to a themed evening.
The next step would be to have plenty of supplies for your planned activities. For dinner or a cookout, I’m talking about the food, dishes, etc. You don’t want to run out of food. Better to have a few leftovers. If you are hosting a craft night and plan on providing the supplies, make sure you have plenty. Even if you are having the guests bring their own supplies it would be nice, as the hostess, if you had a few extra supplies to hand out as needed. For game night, make sure to have a variety of games on hand, along with plenty of paper and pencils. For a sports activity, make sure that all equipment is in working order. If you will be keeping score, make sure you have paper, pencils or a whiteboard & markers, or a chalkboard & chalk.
Game night……
Whatever you have planned for your guests, make sure to treat them well from the time they show up, until they leave. Meet them at the door, or in the driveway if taking them around to your back yard for a cook out. Show them where they can put their stuff, jackets, purses, diaper bags, etc. Make sure it’s a place that they can access easily on their own in case they need something later. Be sure to show them where the bathrooms are, a bed to lay the baby on, and anything else you think they will need access to. You don’t want them to feel like they are bothering you every time they need or want something. Showing them where every thing is will help them to feel at home, so they can relax and enjoy the time they are spending in your home.
As the evening winds down, or dinner is over, save the clean up for after your guests leave. Spend every minute you can with your guests. Don’t leave your guests to fend for themselves while you wash dishes, or put away sports equipment. This will show your guests that they are important to you.
Showing hospitality to your guests means that you make them comfortable and happy. With some thought, and a little planning, you and your guests will be able to enjoy a great evening together.
