orange violet: On being a host by violet

For the last two weekends JP and I have hosted two different sets of college friends. I truly love that our place affords us the room to accommodate guests. I love having people over and houseguests are like a party all the time.

Having been a houseguest at Stacy and Ray’s many times and always feeling incredibly welcomed, I’ve tried to learn what makes a good host. There’s still a lot to learn but a few things I’ve picked up from them along the way.

Always have food and snacks around. There’s nothing worse than guests going hungry or thirsty for that matter. Think about the eating habits of the guests too. Vegetarian? Pick up some soy sausage or have options. Setting snacks out is also a good idea because sometimes people are afraid to ask.

Have a plan but be flexible. There’s nothing worse than a two hour conversation of, what do you want to do? I don’t know what you want to do. A couple of suggestions or even just having a movie to watch can go a long way. On the flip side, often times though your guests may have other plans or people to see. Chill out and go with the flow.

Don’t be afraid to stay in. Remember that these people came to see you. If you take them to the latest hot spot bar where you can’t hear the person next to you talk, it defeats the purpose. Sometimes hanging out at your own house and making dinner is more fun anyway.

We tried our best to out these into action over the past weekends. While I can’t speak for everyone else, I had a really great time both weekends. So at least we did something right.