Day 3: Who to Invite to Dinner
Thanks for joining me in my “30 Days of Summer Entertaining” series.
Getting to know people takes effort. Friendships don’t just happen. It’s what we teach our kids: You have to be a friend to have a friend.
If you are a shy person, or you have a quiet family, challenge yourself to talk more to people. Encourage your kids to talk more to their friends and to adults. Kids need to be shown how it’s done, so it’s our responsibility as adults to teach them how to be hospitable.
Entertaining means that we have to put ourselves aside and be willing to ask others about their lives. It takes risk on both sides to forge a new relationship.
And when you’re not invited to a dinner party, or you’re not invited back, I wrote a post HERE on how to get out of your “pity party” and create your own party.
1. Discuss as a family which family you’d all have a good time with and invite them over.
2. Step out of your comfort zone of always inviting the same people over.
3. It’s okay to not invite negative/downer/gossipy people over.
4. If you want to grow more in your relationship with God and with others, invite people who can encourage you and your family in this area.
Usually when you’re invited to a home for dinner, it’s because those people want to get to know you. There’s just something about you or your family that they want to know more about.
Inviting takes effort. And summertime is an easy way to do it. People don’t even have to go into your house, if that is your fear.
Open the doors to the great outdoors and invite others in!
Are you planning a summer get-together any time soon? Would you mind sharing if you’ll be inviting family, friends, neighbors?
Feel free to grab my button and share it with your readers, too.
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Thanks for the encouragement. We just moved into the first home we’re truly proud of, the first home we own. It’s hard, after these years of “hiding” behind the excuse of “we live in a tiny apartment” or “it’s too messy in here” to open ourselves up, open our new home up, to others. We’re excited and nervous at the same time to create relationships in our new home!
I’ve had that pity party so many times in the past couple years. It seems that every time I invite all of my cousins over nobody can come. Quite randomly I invited one couple of my cousins and they came over on the first invite and we had a blast. I think casual invites the week of the “party” may be the way to go!
Great advice Sandy! I like number 3, we do not need the downers. My hubby has been pretty good at crafting our party lists and we have had the most interesting groups of people over and surprisingly it works so well. The more mixing we do the better the party! This is a great series and I have been checking in daily from your reminders on FB. Have a great Sunday!
I am really just amazed at how days just fly by and how good intentions just fly by as well. Wow June 4 today! I always think I should have people over but it is just not happening. Pick a reason or an excuse and I’ve probably had it or used it! you make it look so easy to pull together . When my kids were in the highschool days the sports teams would have what they called a “Togetherness” night on Thursday night before the big friday night game and eat supper together together. I was thinking ok I should do that, have a “Togetherness” night on Thursday night the weekends are just not working. We had a group at church that kind of disbanded many years ago I was thinking we needed a reunion . I am going to try and not over think it and just do it :) I am not naturally inclined to entertain. thanks for your encouragement to open our doors to others. Janita
We are so inspired by your blog we started a “Social Dork Experiment” a couple months ago. We send out a general invite to a huge group of friends and acquaintances on FB and see who shows up. Today is experiment #2. For the 11 yrs we’ve been in this small 1970’s ranch house, we’ve only had a few friends and familiy over. But after finding your blog and others, we’re brave enough to try entertaining even though we have a far from perfect home. THANK YOU for reminding me we don’t have to be perfect or have perfect things to have fun!
http://socialdorkexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/06/experiment-2-here-we-go.html
I love this idea! Broadcast and see what sprouts!