What Can I Bring?

You have just received an invitation to a holiday party and the first words you utter are, “What can I bring?”

You have most likely been invited to this festive social function due to your sparkling personality and jovial party demeanor but it is always polite to ask what you can contribute to the party. If the host or hostess says nothing is required, don’t think that means you should arrive empty handed.

This holiday season you may have the opportunity to attend family dinners, office parties and get-togethers with friends. Go prepared. Know what to bring.

Bring Appreciation

The first gift that you should bring is appreciation. Most likely your hostess has gone to great lengths to prepare her home for your visit. Few of us live in company-ready homes. To prepare your home for a party involves tremendous housework that never gets completely done in time. There’s always that basket of items you hide in the back bedroom, and before the guests arrive the doors to a few rooms are shut and the interiors hidden from view.

If food is involved, she has been shopping, preparing and cooking. Your hosts have spent non-surplus income on buying the best fare to present to their guests. They have pulled out the party platters that will sit around for weeks before they are put away, adding clutter to their crowded counter tops.

A party is never a simple affair to host. Let your hosts know how thankful you are to be a part of their celebration. Be considerate and help wherever there is a need. Offer your services in the kitchen. Stick around and help clean up when the evening is over. If you did bring a tasty treat to share, leave the left-overs behind for your hosts to enjoy. Be a guest who appreciates all that has been done for you.

Bring Generosity of Spirit

Your hosts have informed you that there is nothing that you need to bring. Yippee! You are off the hook! Not so fast! Now you have the opportunity to lavish your generosity on your hosts. This is the chance for you to be creative and to let the Spirit of liberality flow freely.

If you know your host’s favorite dish, now is the time to make it for them. Make them your famous apple crisp and bake it in a decorative dish that is part of the gift. It’s easy to pick up a bottle of wine, but go a step farther and get a local vintage along with winery tour information.

A bouquet of holiday flowers in a unique vase is a thoughtful hostess gift as is a small potted pine tree that they can plant in the spring. In the spirit of my previous post about meals as gifts, you can bring them a dish of your famous lasagna for their freezer and don’t forget to attach the recipe.

When giving hostess gifts, it is a perfect time to be creative. Think about who your hosts are and what they enjoy. Consider if they have food allergies and bake them something amazing that is GF, dairy free and nut free yet not taste free. Be generous and always arrive with a gift.

Bring Manners

The best party guest is the guest who knows how to be a guest. A good guest assists when possible. A good guest enters into conversations, listens and is not a talk-a-holic. A good guest participates in games and songs. A good guest stays engaged in the party and NEVER pulls out their phone. A good guest follows the lead of the host and never pushes their own agenda.

You most likely know how to be a good guest already, but it is always good to have a small reminder.

Bring You

If you have a gift to bring, or nothing at all; go. If you’ve received an invitation to a holiday party or dinner; go. Don’t stay home because your to-do list is too long. Don’t stay home because you have nothing to contribute. Don’t stay home because you have nothing to wear. Go!

Life has too few parties in it. When the invitation comes to join your friends and loved ones in celebrating the season, join them. Don’t let the hectic pace of life keep you from taking time to enjoy fellowship. The best thing to bring to any holiday party is you.

 

Merry Christmas dear friends! May all the joys of the season fill your lives and hearts.

 

REMEMBER THE COZY CHRISTMAS BOX DRAWING IS THIS WEDNESDAY!!

There is still time to enter to win The Cozy Christmas Box. Visit my blog at The Breezy Porch where I love sharing about enjoying an unhurried life. Subscribe to my blog and you will receive a fresh breeze through your email each week. All it takes to enter to win this wonderful box is comment on my blog and you will be entered, BUT HURRY the contest ends Wednesday, December 20th. https://www.debbiespence.com/…/cozy-christmas-box-give-away/ 

Official Rules:

Time Duration of the Contest – 12:01 AM EST December 5 – 11:59 PM EST December 20

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For a winner chosen from outside the contiguous United States, The Breezy Porch reserves the right to substitute the financial equivalent.

Once announced, the winner will need to supply their address to debbiespence5@gmail.com

Once the winner’s address has been received, The Cozy Christmas Box will be mailed within 48 hours.

Thank you for entering The Cozy Christmas Box contest. Merry Christmas