The Hostess with the Mostest

Hello February! This is a party month for me! Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, my birthday, wedding showers, and this year, Leap Day!!! Well, actually every month is party month for me. 😉

I LOVE parties. If you’ve been friends with me for any length of time, this is something that you will pick up on very quickly. If a holiday, birthday, wedding, baby or any reason to celebrate is coming up, I am in planning mode. Part of this is because growing up, my family was the same way, always celebrating with a party. I am also just wired as a social butterfly. I realize more and more that I am a full-blooded extrovert in the way that I become fully alive when I am around people that I enjoy. And to top it off, I am also your type A, ESFJ, let’s get things done, planner girl.

It’s more likely that I am the hostess rather than the attendee. Most of the time, I really enjoy this, but with anything comes it’s struggles. Those who have been to my parties may say, “you’re the hostess with the mostest,” or send praises because the house is clean and I have the food presented by the time they arrive. I definitely have certain goals that I set for myself with each party I host. But, I have also learned to let certain goals or standards that I used to have for myself go if I also want to fully enjoy the party as the host.

Hopefully these goals that I keep and the goals that I have chosen to let go will inspire and encourage you for your next party idea or maybe for the next time you have a guest over for dinner…

Goals for Party

To Keep: Clean guest bathroom (sink, mirror and toilet!), make sure all rooms are tidy and everything is put in its place, kitchen clean and dishes put away. I highly value cleanliness! Everyone appreciates a clean toilet.

To Let Go: Floors. I used to sweep, mop, and vacuum all the floors right before the party started. While it’s good to have the floors for the most part clean (no spills or noticeable dirty spots), I realized this was a waste of my time! The floors will be dirtier when the party is over, so instead of cleaning all the floors right before the party, I wait until the guests leave.

To Keep: Whether you invite just one person over for dinner or your whole house is filled with guests, one of my major goals is to have the food ready by the time the guests arrive, or at least in its final stage of cooking. Not only is it convenient so you don’t have to wait to eat, it’s also courteous and polite to show your guest that you value their time by carefully preparing for their arrival. Then you can fully be with your guests and not be distracted or rushed.

To Let Go: Cleaning as soon as everyone is finished eating. It used to really bother me to leave dishes and food out once everyone was finished eating. I didn’t like looking at the mess and honestly, I just didn’t want to clean it up later knowing it may be really late once everyone leaves. I decided to not let that bother me anymore so that I can also be a host who spends quality times with her guests. I want to give my guests not only good food and a clean atmosphere, but also genuine and enjoyable conversation since that is what really matters and lasts in the relationships.

To Keep: Presentation adds value to your party for your guests. It shows the guests that you care about them by putting effort into their party experience. This does NOT have to be elaborate though. It just means that you think about where to place the utensils and food for easy access, that you have everything your guests will need already out for them (water, salt and pepper, napkins, hot sauce since this is a necessity for my husband). And then take an extra few minutes to lay it all out nicely. It does not need to be fancy, but you can certainly make it look neat!

To Let Go: Pinterest. This is a huge trap for me. I can’t tell you how much time I have spent (and wasted) on Pinterest, looking at blogs or instagrams on hosting and styling, and then not been able to actually accomplish what I found. Do you know how much time these bloggers and stylists spend to create the perfect centerpiece, living room, dish, etc.?! There’s the pretty and clean look that I can accomplish on my own with an appropriate amount of time and money, and then there’s Pottery Barn/Southern Living/Southern Weddings styled that I swoon over, but realistically don’t have the time, money or natural ability to recreate for my party. AND THAT’S OK!! You can still have a lovely and meaningful party without all the DIY decor or the perfect signs and centerpieces from Anthropologie.

I have chosen to let go of the beautiful picture-esque party decor I come across on Pinterest, and stick to fresh flowers, candles, and maybe a few things I find in the Target dollar section to add “something special”. Try to use your real serveware and plates rather than paper if you want to make it a little bit fancier and save money :).

Parties are a time to enjoy relationships, and build new ones. They are a time to celebrate others or what God has done in your life. Celebration is a heavenly gift that we get to take part in while we live in a messy, and sometimes very difficult, world.

Hosting parties is truly a gift that I know God has given me to enjoy, and I am still learning how to be a great hostess without adding unnecessary pressure and stress.  I’m learning how to stay away from pride too because ultimately everything I do is to point myself and others to Jesus, who is my greatest joy and the reason that I can celebrate life. I would be much more upset if people left my house praising me and my perfect decor rather than praising Jesus, the one who made me and gives me all that I have.

As a host, you have the amazing opportunity to invite people into your home, invest in their lives, encourage them, and point them in some direction when they leave your home. It is so much more than just showing off your new Anthropologie tableware or delicious meal.

What type of tone or direction do you want to set for people when they enter your home or party?

❤ Allison