Do you like to entertain?

berry99

berry99

Cathlete
DH and I moved into a house last year and we have yet to have anyone over, but decided it was about time. So, we invited over a couple for dinner tonight. Well, I spent a lot of time prepping for this today. Trying to decide what to make, grocery store, baking brownies, cleaning the house, and prepping food. DH did help some, but I did most of it. We had the couple over and had a good time, but honestly I would have rather just met at a restaurant and not spend most of my day prepping for this dinner.

Maybe I am just tired and grumpy, but this isn't all it's cracked up to be. I am hoping that I just overdid it today because these were our first dinner guests, but I am not too eager to try anytime soon.

Do you guys like to entertain?
 
I love entertaining because I love to cook and DH grills a mean grill.

We don't have many friends though so it so very rarely happens. Also because I rarely have my house cleaned to the point where I would want anyone to come over for dinner}( .

Someday I will get organized enough and have my house updated - got a small start by replacing the bathroom floor which DH wouldn't even have his family over for Xmas last year because it was in such bad shape. Looks good now so Xmas will be here.

My bro and his family of 5 boys, 2 with wives and a total of 4 grandkids for him will be here this summer. So will all my kids and think I'll invite DH's family. We could have nearly 50 people over and it wouldn't bother me one single bit. I love it.

I see where you are coming from though - loads of work - but I like the comfort of a home vs a restaurant when enjoying friends and family.
 
I love it, but I didn't always feel this way. In the past, I felt like I never had enough room or a nice enough place to host anything, so I was very shy about having people over. I had this idea that my parties either needed to be Oprah-perfect or forget it.

I eventually learned that those who like and love you are just happy to have been invited over and simply look forward to spending time together. The meal doesn't need to be perfect (or even homemade!), nor does the house need to be spotless. (All my guests know we have the pizza place for backup if necessary. :+ )

The more you do it, the easier it gets. You'll get faster in the kitchen, start putting more efficient menus together, and you won't feel like you spent the entire day preparing. :)
 
We do it every now and then, but I'm glad when it's over! If it's my MIL, I *really* go out of the way. LOL I think at first we used to go overboard and everything had to be perfect. I still like things to be above peoples' expectations, but we've done it enough that we're efficient and have it down.

On a side note, we went to a BBQ at another couple's house last week and I was really surprised! Not that I don't appreciate the invite, but they just got back from mountain biking all day, their house was a complete disaster and the food was literally unpacked from the grocery bags and set on the counter. Alrighty then, lets eat! I mean put in some effort if you're inviting guests, even for the most informal get togethers... :p
 
I used to all the time, but my SO hates having people over, really. He sees his house as his sanctuary. So we rarely have people over. I don't miss all the prep and stress, but I miss the having people over part. So sometimes I have some girlfriends over when he's not here:)
 
I WANT to like to entertain, but quite frankly, I really do not enjoy it. It is tiring, stressful... none of the fun it should be! I love to plan it, love books about it, love cleaning and decorating (if necessary) etc. It is just the actual doing it that is the problem :) I am more of an introvert and being with a lot of people, especially when I am responsible for their evening, just wipes me out.
 
I love to entertain. I don't enjoy the cleaning that comes first, but I love to cook and feed people. We used to have friends over frequently, but since my boy cats have turned a carpet into a toilet, I'm embarrassed to have anyone but family and very close friends over. DH is hoping to replace the carpet with hardwood floors this summer, so maybe we'll be back to having others over. I'm expecting anywhere from 6 to 9 folks for hamburgers this evening, since our picnic has been rained out...
 
How very exciting that you had your first dinner guests in your home! And because it was your first in this house, I'm betting you exerted a lot of extra energy just thinking about it.

I would definitely give it another shot, and don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring the dessert/? next time. Most people offer to bring something - let them!

Enjoy your weekend -
 
I agree with Wendy!

I used to think that I had to do it all until I asked each person to bring a side dish or dessert and it made my day so much easier! Especially for the barbeque type get togethers! I do the same thing for Christmas, which I host at my house every year. I also agree that it is exhausting and tiring but I love looking back at the memory of everyone being together.
 
Karin, you and I have a lot to learn from laughingwater! While I love the idea of it, in reality I just get stressed out.

I've recently come to notice that people don't really like coming over, and I've also realized it's because I'm so tense and at my worst. I really don't think people care that much how the place looks, as long as the hosts are relaxed. I'm trying my darndest to remember that!

BTW, if I had Shelley's house, I'd probably have people over on a regular basis. But then, I know how hard Shelley works at keeping her place looking so beautiful, and I can't imagine doing that part. :(
 
Many years ago when we were getting ready for guests and I was stressed, my husband looked at me very seriously and said, "if it's not fun, we don't do it." And that is our philosophy. It has made entertaining very fun for us. We just don't sweat it, or, if we do, we realize not to do that kind of party again (we had an annual pig roast for a few years, but it got to be really big -- more than 100 people -- and someone got seriously hurt last year, so we didn't do it this year). You have to get into the mindset where you're not going to get stressed if the house/food isn't perfect, and really think about doing it for fun, and then it is fun! I have had so many people tell me I seem so relaxed and how fun it is for them to come to parties/dinners here.

hth someone,

-Beth
 
DH and I have a very close group of friends, and our house is sort of the gathering place for us all (maybe around 8 people, but can be as many as 15 or so). I love to cook and feed people and have them in my home (for a reasonable amount of time, of course!). However, I have had to let go an realize that my house is NOT going to look perfect every time, etc.
 
Before kids I entertained a lot. Now that all of my friends (including us) have children and most are under the age of ten, I've cut back on the invitations. No matter how well behaved the kids were, they eventually ended up trashing the house and I got tired of all the clean up. On the rare occasions when the weather is beautiful and everyone can stay outside I'll do a last minute party, but quite frankly, I'd rather meet at a park or beach somewhere.

The other annoyance is that everyone is on a diet today and very few are satisfied with a simple hot dog or hamburger. At my last party I had a vegan, someone who only ate chicken and two people who were on a strict bland diet. While I respect their dietary preferences, it sure was a PIA to come up with a menu that satisfied everyone!
 
I used to really enjoy it and tried to have someone over for dinner once a month. It made me keep my house clean!!! I'm 100% serious; that's why I did it. DH and I think the whole thing is fun, and it ended up getting easier the more often we did it (I think mainly because the house was cleaner.)

My DH is a banquet manager and has been in banquets for decades so he sees having guests over as NO BIG DEAL and I have been to houses of my friends and realized that nobody's house is perfect unless you can afford to have someone else make it so. Which we cannot afford.

So, I only entertain if:
(1) I think it will be fun and I will not be judged by my guests regardless of how my house looks (whether or not I get to clean it, I want to rest assured they don't care) and
(2) I want to eat the food I make, or rather, the food DH grills. Grilling is ESSENTIAL so that not everything has to be done at once, and so that I can make DH do it }( :9

I do sometimes ask my guests to bring flowers or a dish since I know they'll bring something and we have a ton of wine already. I've also asked a guest to bring toys for the cats because she was so insistent on bringing something! :+
 
I actually hate entertaining. It just seems like so much work and I am not relaxed and really don't get to spend much time with guests. But we have a gallery and once a year we have a huge party with all our customers, friends, and anyone in our town who wants to come is welcome. We just put out a big buffet, wine and beer and I can relax and talk with everyone. The town has fireworks that night and you can see them from our place. It has become an annual event in our town and I really enjoy doing it. Sit down dinners make me anxious.
 
I love entertaining.. our abode is usually the gathering place for friends and family.

I don't enjoy the cleaning part, but the upshot is that your house is nice and clean afterwards for you to enjoy for a bit. (My house only gets hardcore cleaning when we are going to have a party!)

It does feel like a lot of work sometimes, but I don't mind if it is for an event and people I enjoy.

I like the planning, cooking and feeding part, but I like the big sense of accomplishment if you can pull off the party and everybody had a good time.

PS.. I don't like the post party cleanup so much.. thank goodess my hubby does that part well!

Lynn M.
 
I DESPISE formal entertaining...it's too stressful! My idea of "entertaining" is having a bunch of ppl over to watch college football, and making nachos and grilling hotdogs. Occassionally I like to get "fancy" and change the menu to tacos or something laivish like that ;)
 
We really enjoy having people over and so do our girls :)

We usually have our church group over every two weeks, and invite friends and/or family over at least once a week. Sometimes one family and sometimes 4+ families (all who have 3+ kiddos!) We have a small house and ONE bathroom, but have had up to 67 people in our house!!! It gets crazy, but in a fun kind of way. Everyone knows how big (small!) our house is and still come :+

The more you do it the easier it is and you get it down to a science!!

Mary
 
I used to, but it's almost impossible for us to entertain at home anymore. Our geographic location isn't near any of our friends or DH's co-workers, so we now do all of our entertaining at restaurants. It's not as cozy but it does have it's advantages. ;-)
 
no! lol. I really wish I did though. I love to hang out with friends but I'd rather go out to eat. I LOVE to cook too but cooking for more people totally freaks me out. I guess it'd get easier with more experience but so far if we have people over I just make something really easy (not fancy) or order pizzas. lol.
I have had a few friends over before and successfully made a meal but I was a nervous wreck until it was all done.
 
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