Hosting A Party


by Delightful Biteful - Date: 2007-09-30 - Word Count: 562 Share This!

A couple of decades ago it was important to be thought of as a good host/hostess. It was characteristic of a cultured or modern thinking person. Now that we are fully cultured and modern, many of us forget how important good hosting is.

It is easy and fulfilling as long as consideration for the guest's enjoyment is motivated by a true desire to contribute quality time that can be a fond experience in someone's life. That is a pretty powerful thing. I threw a party a few years ago and was told years later by a boy that arrived with a guest that he had one of the nicest nights he could remember. It was one of my most successful evenings; a night of good food, dancing and games where all of the guests were encouraged to participate and I was in a wonderful mood. You must realize that people can sense how you really feel in any situation, especially when you are apathetic but trying to act enthused. Your guests pick up on your feelings and it often sets the mood for the event. Do not take on the challenge if you are not up to it. I learned that the hard way.

I used to hate to go to a party "in the third person" (welcomed to come with an invited guest) because it was likely that I would not know too many people and would feel a little bit out of place. This was often the case because the host or hostess did not make it a point to welcome me. I would receive a harried half acknowledgment as he or she rushed by and would think to myself "Alright, I can expect no help from you in being made comfortable here; I'd better check for the nearest exit." Do you know I have actually stepped through a couple of them? Courtesy is a big word and sometimes lacking.

Rules that have worked for me over the years are as follows:
Smile and look your guests in the eye. Stop what you are doing and put the people first. This is done through careful preparation. Have everything together so that you can take the time to get to know someone well enough to introduce them around and pair them up with others that have something in common or share some similarity. For instance I have brought together a music lover and an artist. It was the closest match I could think of and it worked very well. As a matter of fact the two of them are still married.

Circling the room every half an hour or so is a good idea. Look for that person who is standing in the corner with no one to talk to. Some people are just shy and need a little extra attention. If you can not pair them up with someone that they are interested in talking to, you may want to find something interesting that they can look at, such as a stamp or coin collection, or even pictures. When offering something to all of your guests, no one walks away feeling that they have wasted their time.

Remember that when hosting a party you are not just feeding their faces you are feeding their feelings as well. Take on the task with an open heart and you will be remembered fondly by many.

Related Tags: hosting, modern, party, special events, home entertainment, socializing, cultured, house parties, social gatherings

This article written by Delightful Biteful www.delightfulbiteful.com -A resource for fine desserts.

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