There are many ways to be prepared for an unplanned party. I have a few friends who always have an open door to their homes. They entertain several times a year planned and unplanned and love doing it! It comes very naturally to them. But some of us need a little more guidance and practice. So you can start now having some things on hand in your home all the time. Let’s dive into a few ways that we can always keep our home ready for entertaining.
Keep Scented Candles In The House
Start off by creating an aromatic atmosphere in your home by purchasing candles. Choose a scent to help create the environment you’re trying to achieve. Cinnamon, pumpkin, and fresh balsam are great for the holidays. For the warmer seasons, floral and fresh scents are appropriate. Or, Lavender and Chamomile if you are trying to create a relaxing feel. Place candles in different parts of the house where entertaining will take place. Just remember to balance your candles with scented for aroma, and unscented for ambiance and to keep from overpowering the room with fragrance.
Start A Great Music Collection
Start now adding your favorite music to your playlist. Create sections for party types. For example: old school music for a 70’s theme party. And jazz for a more sophisticated party. When our kids were younger, we had a playlist with kids’ movies soundtracks from the most popular kids’ movies. It was always a hit! Have your music piped in before guests arrive.
Have A Collection Of Plates And Simple Serveware
If you are or going to begin to entertain often, especially if you’re open to impromptu parties, starting a basic plate, glasses, coffee cups, and serve ware collection can make it easier for you. Especially if you don’t want to use your everyday plates. A solid neutral color like white will go with anything. If you don’t want to have to wash dishes, keep a set of white or clear premium disposable plates in your pantry for easy clean-up.
Serve A Charcuterie Board
For an on-the-spot party where you need some type of appetizer, a cheese, meat plate or charcuterie board are great go-to’s. It’s fun to get everyone involved by inviting each guest to prepare an item for the board, pour drinks or serve them. A few staple items to keep in your pantry can be a gourmet cracker assortment, a jar of mixed olives, petite kosher dill pickles, nuts, and dried fruit like apricots, figs, and dried cranberries. Meats may consist of salami, prosciutto, and pepperoni. Or, lunch meats, cheese cubes, a block of sliced cheese, strawberries, and grapes. Some beverages to serve with this can be wine, sparkling juice, or sparkling water.
All of these things can be snacks for your family and items you’ll have on hand if you have an impromptu gathering. You can use anything from a wooden butcher block to a dish platter to a marble slab to display your food by placing each item in the same section.
Have Conversation Pieces Displayed
Conversation pieces can range from interesting magazines or books laid out on the coffee table, to abstract art prints, figurines, heirlooms, or pieces you’ve collected during your travels. You can simply initiate a conversation by saying, “When we went to New Zealand, we picked up this piece of art at a festival. It has a lot of history about…” Or, “My grandmother passed this down to me for my 21st birthday like it was passed down to her and her mother.” This is a good way to strike a conversation and get guests to engage with one another. Having more than one conversation piece opens up more opportunities to connect with guests.
Keep Coffee In The House
Coffee just puts a seal on everything for me. Coffee and a good pastry or dessert that is. It is the last thing you will be offered after a meal. This is another item you can keep in your pantry or at your coffee station. You have the option of serving decaf or caffeinated with sugar/sugar substitute and cream. Or a variety of coffee pods. Start the coffee pot brewing right away. If it is a short visit, it may be the only thing some guests want.
Since an on-the-spot gathering was not planned, it means there is no end time. After guests arrive, begin to think of the time you want it to end. And discretely begin to wind down. Here are 4 ways you can bring the party to an end.
- Start with blowing out a candle. That feels more polite than flicking the light switch. Reserve that for events outside your home.
- Stop initiating conversations. Allow your guest to continue to talk. But this will be your way to start winding down.
- Gradually turn the volume of the music down. And eventually off. These are all gentle signs to the guests that the party is ending.
- Begin asking, “May I take your plate?” Take them to the sink. But don’t start washing them. In some cases, your guests will ask to help. If you’re overwhelmed, take their offer. If not, politely tell them no thank you. Keep in mind, if they’re helping you with dishes, it means they are staying longer.
Hostess Challenge: What will you choose as your conversation piece or pieces?
