A-Z Survival Guide to Life

E- Entertaining

This is the fifth installment in the A-Z Survival Guide to Life I am writing for my boys.

We are 5 days into the A-Z Challenge and I am already a day behind. I figure I can catch up on Sunday, when we aren’t supposed to do a post at all.

I went back and forth on what to write about under “E”. Several topics came to my mind.  Eating – but you are much better versed on nutrition than I.  I thought about Etiquette, but that involves things like the art of letter writing – which unfortunately is thing of the past, thank-you notes – that type of thing, all of which do not seem to be really relevant to the present way of doing things. So, I came up with Entertaining.  Not entertaining through telling witty jokes or juggling, but the entertaining one does when they invite people into their homes for a party or just a dinner.

We really have not entertained much during your childhood. I am not sure why.  I guess because our home is really where we get away from everyone, it is our sanctuary.  Perhaps you two won’t be as anti-social as we are, and may at some point want to invite people to your home.  There are several things you need to think about.

Invite people you like – There is nothing worse than inviting people you barely tolerate to your house. Again, your home should be your sanctuary, it is a safe place.  Do not bring people into your home you do not like, because they will always be the last to leave. When inviting a large group of people make sure they all like each other – it is a good mix of people.  Don’t invite the person nobody really likes, say from your place of employment (here again we are working under the assumption you will at some point be employed), because you feel sorry for them, or feel obligated to invite them – it just will not end well.

Tidy the house – If you are going to ask people over to your house, make sure it is tidy. Beds should be made, the carpets should be vacuumed.  Most importantly, if women have been invited, make sure the bathrooms are clean, there are towels and hand soap available.  Eliminate all strange odors. Pay special attention to the toilets, there should not be any weird congealed fluids anywhere near or on the toilet.  The towels in the bathroom should be clean and free of encrustments. Have bottles of hand soaps available near the sink.  Don’t expect people to wash their hands with half-used bar soaps – that is kind of gross.

Have beverages and food available – This seems like an obvious point to make, but make sure you have food available that the average person likes. Say for instance, you enjoy Ritz Crackers and tuna garnished with Ketchup, don’t think just because people are coming to your house they will enjoy being served this strange combination. Have carbohydrates available.  Some people like to eat carbohydrates. Just because you two survive on oatmeal and egg whites, does not mean your guests will be thrilled to be offered the same.

Make sure to talk with everyone – As a host, it is your job and obligation to make sure everyone enjoys themselves. This starts when the guest enters your home, be there to greet them.  Introduce them to the people they don’t know.  Make sure everyone is talking with someone, and if they are not, make an effort to introduce them into a conversation, involve them.

Saying goodbye – This is a big issue with me. When a guest you have invited into your home, prepares to depart, make sure you walk them at least to the door, and say your goodbyes.  This is important.  If they come up to you and say they are ready to go, don’t just point them to the door and return to your conversation.  Take the time to walk them to the door, or if you live in a house, walk them out the door, thank them for taking the time out of their busy lives to attend your party and see them off properly. This may seem very old school, but it just makes people feel like they are important, and an appreciated guest.