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Hostess With the Mostess: Tips to Make Your Party Sparkle

November 27, 2019

1 Peter 4:9 encourages us to “use hospitality one to another without grudging.” There are so many examples of being hospitable throughout the Word of God, and I believe it’s something we all are called to do.

I’m originally from the south, and “southern hospitality” is near to my heart. When you think of hospitality, you can’t help but think of food, too! They go hand in hand.

Over the years since Jess and I have been married, I’ve hosted so many people in our home. We’ve had parties of two and parties of up to 60-70! I LOVE having people over and making our home available. I believe that God gave us our home for us to use to host friends, family, young people, Bible studies . . . and the list goes on! I just love hosting; it brings me so much joy.

Having fellowship is so important when it comes to forming quality relationships, battling isolation, and nurturing unity. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share some of my top hosting tips. Enjoy!

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Have appetizers available for pre-meal mingling.

Make a small meat & cheese tray and create an area to encourage guest mingling before the main meal is served. This will help everyone relax and get comfortable. It’s also a great time for guests to get to know each other if they don’t already.

Always have sweet/unsweet drink options available.

While it’s courteous to have different options available for different preferences, it also just may make a world of difference for that person who has to limit sugar — or has some other kind of dietary restriction to consider. And it’s a given that get-togethers should always include a sweet option!

Play music lightly in the background.

This helps eliminate any awkward silences and sets the mood for a relaxed gathering. Silence is good for rest and contemplation; it’s not so good for group gatherings!

Serve.

Don’t be afraid to spoil your guests by serving them! This is the perfect opportunity to practice good, biblical hospitality and to reflect the heart of a servant.

Plan out how you’ll be serving the food.

Prepare items and serve them in order; i.e., meat first, sides, bread, and then drinks. Try to make the food and drink area have a practical, cohesive flow.

Consider how you’ll entertain kids.

If your guests will be bringing children, have toys available or activities prepared. Now parents can relax better, and the kids will have a great time too! A little goes a long way.

Have games ready to play!

Games add an opportunity to make extra memories, and they also help keep the party from lagging. Some of our favorites include Monopoly Deal, Pit, Rummikub, and Ticket to Ride.

Have plenty of food/desserts prepared.

Be generous! When it comes to a good party, too much food definitely goes over better than too little. Worst case scenario, everyone can take a little food home!


So now I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any hostessing tips of your own? Let me know in the comments.

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