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How to Make Your Weekend Gatherings Simple

I think weekend gatherings are probably my favorite type of gathering.  By the time the weekend arrives, everyone is tired and just wants to relax. Have a good conversation and enjoy the time together. Let me share with you what I have learned. How to make your weekend gatherings simple.

Simplifying our lives

Our household theme for the 2017 year has been “Do Less Better by Simplifying Our Lives.” We love having gatherings at our home, but our lives had gotten so busy that when the weekend got here, I had no desire to put on a big event like I was so used to doing. I had to make our weekends simple but didn’t want to stop having gatherings in our home.  So here is what I have found to work for our family and our guests seem to love it.

Weekend Gatherings Made Simple has become part of the plan to simplify.

How to make your weekend gatherings simple

• Everyone can help out. Before the guest arrives, give everyone in your family a task to do. It could be as simple as making sure there is a napkin at each place setting. Give your guest a task to do as well. It could be to bring a dish or set the table once they arrive.
• Forget trying to impress everyone. I bet if you polled your guests, they would not remember the dust on the shelf or the laundry that is not down. They would remember the fun fellowship. Stop trying to make your home in perfect condition. A stressed-out host is no fun to be around. Have you read that hospitality is NOT entertaining yet?

My favorite tip to simplify your weekend gatherings.

• Build a supply to make it easier to set up. Have a Rubbermaid container supplied with paper goods, plastic ware, candles, bug spray, etc. Make items that you use over and over easy to access and keep them all in one place. When you run out of something in your container, quickly replace it so you are not caught off guard and unprepared. This has probably been the best resource I have in my house. I love the fact that it is all together and anyone can pull it out and help.
• Make it simple and not hard. Having people over can be quite a hassle. Invite people over for dessert, or maybe just a simple meal. A simple meal like BBQ or a crock pot of chili. I have not had one guest complain yet that the meal was too simple. There are so many great recipes on Pinterest for simple meals. Guests just want the fellowship; they really don’t care how detailed your menu is.

Gatherings are about relationships and not so much about food. Keep your eye on the purpose. People that you have over on a regular basis already know your positives and your negatives. Just stop and enjoy their company and not stress over the hardest meal you will ever prepare.