Be a Superguest this Holiday Season!

Most of us will be a guest at a Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or some other festive holiday soiree at some point in the next few weeks. The good news is you have the easy part! Your friends or family are doing all of the things (and there are many!) involved in hosting this get-together. You get to just show up, eat, drink and be merry, right? No! I mean, you can, but we’re grown ups, so let’s put just a tiny bit of effort into being a gracious guest (which will help secure you an invite to the next gathering!)

Most of us will be a guest at a Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or some other festive holiday soiree at some point in the next few weeks. The good news is you have the easy part! Your friends or family are doing all of the things (and there are many!) involved in hosting this get-together. You get to just show up, eat, drink and be merry, right? No! I mean, you can, but we’re grown ups, so let’s put just a tiny bit of effort into being a gracious guest (which will help secure you an invite to the next gathering!)

Ask the host if there is anything specific you can bring… but in a genuine way. This mostly means asking at least a few days in advance and not waiting until an hour and a half before you’re supposed to arrive to shoot a next reading “need me to bring anything?”

Thinking of offering to bring food?

  • Be considerate of the host’s plans! They might have found 27 new recipes on pinterest that they’re dying to impress someone with! (Just me?), so go with it if they decline your offer.

  • If the host is all “Oh, no need, I’ve got it under control”, don’t show up with a random side dish that probably doesn’t make any sense with everything else that’s being served (unless it’s a potluck, in which case, game on for all the weird sides you can muster).
  • If your friend does ask you to bring a dish (or anything, really), actually bring it! Your friend is counting on you - if you said you’d bring a green salad, you had better show up with at least some romaine in a bowl and a bottle of vinaigrette.

  • Planning on bringing a bottle of booze? Ask if there’s a certain beverage that would go well with dinner. Instead of just regifting that old, dubious bottle you’ve had forever, check with the host to see if maybe mulled wine would work with their menu, for example. Pick up a bottle of red and a packet of mulling spices to bring.

There are so many ways to be a great guest without bringing food or booze!

  • Bringing a small gift to leave with your host, something he can enjoy well after the dishes are done. Trust me, this is not weird. It’s actually super thoughtful!

  • The best hostess gift is one that the hostess probably wouldn’t splurge on for herself. Think little self-care items like bath bombs, a super nice scented candle, or a book.
  • Flowers are a universal host-pleaser (everyone knows this, obviously). Be a superguest by picking up a centerpiece or arrangement that is already in its own little jar or bowl so that your friend doesn’t have to dig around in the back of their cabinets for a vase. No one’s got time for that, seriously. Bonus points for bringing flowers because it’ll make the table look super instagrammable! 

  • If you think the crowd will be up for it, why not bring a party game for everyone to play after dinner? Trivia games are a fun way to make your friend who “doesn’t enjoy mainstream movies” feel as silly as they rightfully should.
  • Tight on budget this month? Offer to come a little early to set the table or help stash everyone’s coats in the horizontal coat closet (aka the bed in the spare room) when guests arrive.

A lot of work goes into hosting any kind of dinner party, but especially a holiday party! The pressure to be festive is real, people. Be courteous of the work that your host has put into the evening. Don’t forget to send a thank you card a few days after the party! It’s such an easy thing you can do to let the host know you enjoyed yourself, and that their hours of prepping, food shopping, cleaning, cooking, cleaning again, hosting, and cleaning yet again were all worth it.

Cheers!

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