Entertaining | Offbeat Home

This is Offbeat Home's archive of Entertaining posts.

These posts cover all the ephemera of having people in your offbeat home.

Most Recent Posts About Entertaining

Ariel's talked boundaries over on Offbeat Bride, and today we bring you a fresh take on boundaries, from the perspective of a party host.

My college roommate loved throwing huge parties. At first it was fun, but after about the third or fourth shindig, I began spending these parties locked behind my bedroom door. I wanted to read myself to sleep, not listen to people throw up to the same DeeLite CD over and over. After spending the last several months writing a hosting book, the concept of letting people into personal space has been heavy on my mind. It's an important part of hosting, and one that I've given literally years of thought to. It's also a pretty sensitive topic to many people.

These are things that I've come up with after trial and error, and lots of serious thought. I encourage anyone who likes to entertain to develop his or her own hosting boundaries and set in place what I call a "velvet rope" policy.

Do you know how fun it is to prepare for the end of the world, zombie-style? It's my new favorite hobby! The best part is I never run out of gift ideas anymore (my husband is one of those impossible-to-buy-for guys). I'll use any holiday as an excuse to add to our collection. Here's what I put together to make Easter working with our prepping plans.

Large parties are rife with what I call "fringe friends" — strangers, distant family, or people you don't know intimately. You might get invited to (or asked to organize) a wedding, reunion, baby shower, barbecue, work function, or camping trip. If you're shy, this can be a source of anxiety instead of fun. Large parties prove difficult for those who are shy, and are a true challenge for the introverted host.

Here's what has worked for me when hosting and socially navigating large parties.

I LOVE BIRTHDAYS. They make me very excited. Happily, I have a husband who, while less excitable, loves me for my super-planning tendencies. This is the birthday party I threw him this year.

On New Year's Eve, we raised over $2,000 for a local food bank by dressing up, showing off, and getting cheerfully smashed with 30 or so of our best buds. We don't have loads of cash, a fancy venue, or any (particularly) super powers, so how'd we pull off this feat? By focusing on what we do have.

My husband Sean and I recently celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary (yay!). I was totally intimidated by the idea of a Fifth Anniversary, so I very politely ~~asked him to plan~~ informed him that he was in charge of making plans for the day. Since we're parents of a three-year-old and don't go out as much, the idea that we'd spend a night together, just the two of us, for many hours on end, was awesome.

I wanted our evening to be a surprise, especially since Sean and I both suck at surprising one another. After arranging childcare (yay, house mates!), we headed out.

NO! Not another pretty party! With perfectly-planned coordinating courses, a playlist, and cleverly-crafted decorations! NOT TODAY! Today, we celebrate the ugly party.

This winter I have been learning the value of the ugly party. The unplanned party. The no-decorations, unfancy food, just-get-together-and-love-it party. These impromptu parties have been some of the most enjoyable socials I've been to all year — and I think hosting an ugly party fosters skills you need to ensure you'll never attend a boring party again.

I love animated gifs! They're like the magical photos in the Potterverse. Here's a reason you can make one this week: PARTY TIME. Whether you're planning a Super Bowl party, a Valentine's Day cocktail hour, or just a mid-winter soiree, you can make an animated gif invitation in a few quick steps.