Whether you’re hosting friends for the evening or family members for several days, how you can welcome guests to your home?
Welcome. What makes you feel most welcome when you visit a home?
Is it someone’s hug? Smile? Friendly greeting?
Is it the home atmosphere – maybe a delicious smell coming from the kitchen A flickering candle? Soft music? A presentable home?
When you’re spending the night with a friend or family member, what makes you feel comfortable? Knowing just where to put your belongings? Knowing where you can grab a drink or snack if you’re hungry?
Think ahead
When you know you’re expecting company, I want you to think about all of those comforting touches – and copy them. (Afraid that you shouldn’t be a copycat, but are racking your brain for original ideas? Forget it in this case. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.)
If you’re expecting guests, be ready to welcome them with open arms and a smile. Prepare some kind of refreshment – whether it’s a hot or cold drink or a little something to nibble. If you have the time, light a candle. Display a favorite photo of you and your guests. Turn off the TV and turn on some music. Get ready to give your guests your full attention. (Put your technology away!)
Welcome overnight guests
For overnight guests, making an extra effort to welcome them will be much appreciated. When you’re out of the comfort of your own home – or own bed – for the night, feeling like you can make yourself at home is wonderful.
So what can you do?
First, make sure your guests know where they can find everything. Where’s the bathroom? Where can they settle in with their belongings? If they’re thirsty, where are the drinking glasses and water? Where’s the fridge?
Once they know where everything is that they’ll need, be sensitive to what they might want to do next. (And don’t try to guess … ask them!) Are they hungry? Do they need to rest a little or freshen up after a long journey? Do they need to recharge any devices? Would they rather stretch their legs?
After your guests settle in, you all can figure out how to best enjoy their visit.
See you in the morning
When company is coming over, I always feel like I need to be one of the first ones up in the house (even if we’ve stayed up late, late the night before).
I try to start a pot of coffee and begin breakfast preparations, although I’m a big fan of making breakfast casseroles before my guests arrive, so it can chill in the fridge and all I have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning.
If a breakfast casserole isn’t your cooking style and you’d like something simpler, stick with a continental breakfast of fresh fruit, muffins or breakfast pastry, and cereal.
Of course your preparation may be much more relaxed if you have guests who stay frequently, or if they’re staying for a long time. But I still like to make a fuss about a big welcome, and then a warm send-off, just so they can (hopefully) feel appreciated and loved.
How do you like to welcome guests to your home? As a guest, how do you like to be welcomed?
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I just had an overnight guest, a missionary, who is also an old friend. I’m a missionary kid myself, so I had been in her shoes countless times. She took off her shoes at the door, smiled, and said, “I figure I can do the Asian thing here.” I grinned back and said, “Yeah, I had people over earlier today, and they all came in with their shoes on, and I thought, Well, I GUESS I’m okay with this.” Then I asked her if she would like a tour of my home or whether she needed to use the bathroom. (Bathroom won.) Then I showed her were she would be sleeping, carried some of her luggage for her, and introduced her to my little girl. Then little girl took over and requested that our guest read aloud to her. While that was happening, I slipped back to the kitchen and brought my guest a bottle of cold water, for which she thanked me. I asked her what time she’d like to go to bed and whether she preferred a shower in the morning or evening. When I showed her the bathroom, I pointed out which direction was cold and which was hot (unmarked in our shower stall). While she showered, I made up her bed on the sofa. After my daughter went to bed, I shared scrapbooks with my friend and I was excited that she said, “I love looking at pictures.” I gratefully received gifts from my guest, as well. She went easy on me and made plans for dinner and breakfast with other friends, so I cleaned, but I didn’t cook. The only thing I would change about the visit was that we somehow missed our chance to take a picture together.
I haven’t traveled much in the past few years, but when I had a friend over, it all came back to me how even little things like knowing which drawer in the kitchen holds the silverware can help a person feel more comfortable and “at home.”
I LOVE your suggestion for pointing out little details, like where the silverware drawer is. Those little touches can really make someone feel comfortable in your home!