When was the last time you had people over to your house?  People you actually invited ahead of time to DO something; eat a meal together, catch the game on TV,  watch The Office on DVD or just hang out.

If you can’t remember or are pretty sure there was a different president at the time, I am going to become a bit of a thorn in your side.  Every once in a while you are going to log on to this site and find a post about YOU entertaining others in your very own home/apartment/backyard/little corner of the world.

Don’t start with how you’re sooooo busy, how your house is a mess, you’re too tired, you hate cooking, your place is too small, you just moved to the area and don’t know anybody, you are trying to save money, you’re not creative/crafty/original/etc. enough.  STOP.

Here is my list of The Only Things You Really Need to do to Host a Casual Get-Together:

1. In my opinion, if you are going to focus on deep cleaning any room before having a last minute gathering, it MUST be the bathroom.  There is nothing worse than a dirty bathroom.  But, you need only clean the bathroom that guests will be using.  Sit on the toilet and look at the wall in front of you, including the baseboards…wipe them down if needed.  Do the same standing up, facing the toilet.  This is what your guests will be doing in there under bright lights…they spend very little time in there but notice a lot while they are there!  Look at the room with fresh eyes:  wipe off the mirror, door, light switch, sink.  Change the towels and refill the soap and restock several rolls of toilet paper.  Clean the toilet, sweep the floor and take out the garbage.  DO NOT scrub the tub or shower, hang new shelves or put in a new shower curtain.  No one cares.
2. Sweep/Mop/Vacuum your floors.  Have you ever noticed how you can clean an entire room but it still looks messy until the floors are clean? 
3. If you have the time, put some 3-way bulbs in your lamps.  Low lighting covers a multitude of sins like dust, scuff marks, paint scrapes, and low lighting generally puts people at ease.
4. DO NOT dust, organize your cupboards/fridge/pantry/coat closet/etc.  No one sees or cares about these things except for you.  Save those chores for another time, not right before you have guests over.  Anything upstairs can wait too.
5. Decide on music ahead of time.  CDs or IPOD on shuffle, digital or satellite radio, whatever.  Decide on it, stick to it, leave it alone.
6. Make a pan of lasagna and a big salad and some garlic bread.  I’m not kidding.  My friend Marley Majcher who owns The Party Goddess in L.A. and has planned a bazillion amazing events (for fabulous celeb types) swears this is the NUMBER ONE most beloved and successful meal you can serve to your guests.  Seriously, who doesn’t love lasagna?  Vegetarians in the group?  Make 2 pans; one spinach, one not.  Vegans?  Well, they can load up on the salad! 
7. Let people BRING something.  You know they’re gonna ask what they can bring.  Graciously accept the offer and delegate:  “Dessert would be lovely”,  “How about some wine?”,  “I could use a bottle of your favorite salad dressing”.
8. Speaking of dessert, a box of Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Entertaining Cookies are always a crowd pleaser.  I promise you,  I can have a group of women all swearing off sugar but somehow by the end of the evening, not a crumb is left on the platter.  You know why?  Because nobody actually BUYS those yummy boxes of fancy cookies for themselves, at least not very often.  It’s a treat, there’s a variety of flavors, they’re small (no fork and plate needed) and most of them have some sort of chocolate in them!  Place them out on a nice plate (yes, taking them out of the box s always a nice touch!) and brew a pot of coffee.
9. If you have a double sink, fill one side with ice and beverages.  Wine, waters, soft drinks are all chilled and self serve that way.
10. Make sure you are completely ready (showered, dressed) an hour before you told your guests to arrive.  Then pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on the music and relax…..

Now don’t get me wrong…I am all about having everything perfect for a special occasion, a party I am putting lots of planning into.  In fact, I make it a point to plan a bigger bash at my home once a month in order to keep myself current on all the little projects I would otherwise put off.  What I am suggesting are the BASICS.  There are lots of other things everyone from Martha to Oprah will tell you you simply MUST do when inviting guests over, but for many people that can make it all too daunting. 

Start out small.  Make it easy.  Just do it.  You have 2 days before the weekend.  Think of a few couples or families and take the plunge…call them up TODAY and invite them over.  Don’t let anything dissuade you.  You’ll be so glad you did!

Tags: , cleaning, drinks, entertaining tips, food, hosting, lighting, music, party prep, top ten list

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 5:13 pm and is filed under food, parties. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.