Hospitality vs. Entertaining

We’ve all been to that house. The person who has a knack for entertaining. They love the details, and everything is lovely. I love being friends with people who are wired like that. I love those gatherings where the host thinks of every detail. And I hang in that neighborhood occasionally, but that is not where I live.

I do not care what people think of my house or the Soup Nights we host. What I really care about is how people feel once they walk in my door. Do they feel prepared for? Do they feel cared for and like I was ready for them when they got here? This does not mean that I accommodate every need that walks in my door. I make a pot of soup, but I don’t drive myself crazy making sure every dietary difference is accommodated. I regularly have people at my house who are gluten-free, and I regularly have people who are vegan. Those friends make whatever people bring work for them- or sometimes the soup I make works for them. After their first time at my house, they know how Soup Night rolls at the Simpson’s and they plan accordingly. I digress . . .

Here’s what I want you to get. Soup Night at my house is not entertaining. It is squarely in the hospitality category. People help themselves and dip their bread in their bowls. It is zero percent fancy. Yes to candles and yes to something green out of the yard sitting in a glass jar on the table because it makes the space feel warm and inviting. I want to encourage you to leave behind any desire to impress people.

Now please prepare for my mini rant. I’ll keep it on the rails, but if you’ll allow for just one sec- I think Martha has done us a big dis-service by making everything so incredibly lovely. What concerns me is if having it lovely gets in the way of having actual people in your home.

We are all really hungry for community. We need each other. I need my neighbors, and they need me. If I’m so concerned with having it lovely that I get overwhelmed and never invite people over, everyone loses.

So, get your paper plates or your thrift store bowls out and have your neighbors over for soup.