How to Be the Best Hostess EVER

First things first...

You've entered YESTERDAY'S GIVEAWAY-- right?. {If not, you can go do it now.  I'll wait.....}

And now to the issue at hand... HOSTESSING.

On Easter, it struck me all over again how blessed I am to be part of such a great TEAM with my Mom and Jill. We can really put together a nice meal.  Sure... each of us can also do it on our own.  But, as the non-hostess, how EASY is it for me to bring just a side dish to help out? And guess what?  That's one less thing the hostess will have to worry about making/baking, refrigerating/storing, or even purcha$ing!  [There are many ways to help a hostess, and lets just say it... financially is one of them.]

I spoke to a sweet lady on Easter Sunday who was stressed out about getting home in time to put the potato casserole into the oven.  She was worried about what her daughter-in-law would bring -- because they never communicate that ahead of time.  She had a bit of an attitude about others who would be coming to lunch, and hadn't offered to help at all.  When I told her our "system," she admitted that her bad attitude and stress was probably her own fault, because she'd never asked for help, or suggested what anyone could bring.  She tried to do it all herself.

There are times when that is appropriate, and it works just fine.  But usually in those situations, you have already mentally prepared yourself to carry the entire workload.

I would like to suggest that part of being a good hostess is realizing that your guests cannot/should not be expected to read your mind!  Don't be afraid to ask your guests to help out, and if you have something specific in mind then, by all means, be specific.

And of course, there's the other side of the coin.  Part of being a good guest is offering to help in some way. The "party" is much more interesting when teamwork is involved!

What are your thoughts about being the "Best Hostess EVER?"

FROM EASTER :: We enjoyed an awesome meal at Jill's, and I came home with these photos.  I laughed, thinking "this is how you know your kids have grown up.... when you come home with only photos of THE TABLE!'  Oy.  But it WAS a pretty table!