Opening up your home to other people is never a simple task. Even when you have prepared to the hilt and think nothing can go wrong, something is still liable to happen during the event itself. Some people will be late; some drinks will run out; you’ll have forgotten the dietary requirements of one of your guests.
What it’s easy to forget is that most of the above can be forgiven. When friends and family attend a party at your home, they’re not expecting a perfect 5* service where everything goes to plan. They want to have a nice night, feel catered to but not excessively so, and just enjoy the atmosphere.
Of course, as the hostess, it’s up to you to be the leader of that atmosphere – and there are a few things you can do to damage it. Most of these you won’t even realize are bad things; some might even just seem like being polite. However, if you do them too often, then it could be your behavior – rather than anything materially wrong with the party – that brings the mood down. So why not take a scan through the list and see if any of these must-quit hostess habits apply to you?
Bad Habit: Constantly Asking If People Need Refills
On the surface, this seems… well, polite, really. You want your guests to be comfortable, and part of that means ensuring they always have a full glass. After all, you’ve done the beforehand work, got yourself a beverage distributor and plenty of different drinks options – so what’s wrong with asking guests if they need you to top up their glass?
Put simply: it can feel like you’re nagging them. An occasional question is fine, but many a hostess may take this to a point where it feels like they’re constantly pestering their guests. Don’t go too far, or your kindly offer begins to feel like an annoyance.
Bad Habit: Trying To Dictate A Tone
Parties take on a life of their own – or at least, they should. If you try too hard to create an atmosphere or tone for the evening, then two things are going to happen:
- It’s not going to work. Shouting “woohoo, party!” into a quiet room or – on the flip side – trying to temper down a lively party into a more sit down, calm, event just isn’t going to happen.
- You’re going to exhaust yourself trying to pursue the idea of what you think your party should be like, rather than just letting it happen naturally.
Neither consequence is one you want to find yourself dealing with – so don’t. Sure, redirect conversation if it’s going in a direction that might cause arguments – politics is always a good one to avoid – but other than that, let things happen.
Bad Habit: Enjoying Yourself Too Much
Of course, you should enjoy your party. However, it’s best to try and ensure you at least steer clear of too much alcohol – especially if you’ve not eaten much during the day as you’ve been rushing around making plans!
Combine the three above and you will truly be the hostess with the mostest, who knows where the line is between attentive and obsessive and is always on hand to help with any problems that arise.
