The holiday season is nearly upon us.  Soon our calendars will be brimming with family gatherings, travel plans, parties, and holiday feasts.  Shopping trips, family traditions, and December birthdays will abound.

So with the busyness of this season could come the temptation to just tell friends and neighbors, “see you in January!”

Certainly that would be easiest.

But as a believer in the power of real hospitality to foster deep relationships, bless others, and increase your enjoyment of your home (and as one who just finished writing about Real, Simple Hospitality for 31 days), I say let’s keep sharing meals and lives, even in the midst of a full holiday season.

How? Keep it simple, intentional, and flexible.

Simple

Hospitality doesn’t have to mean serving a sit-down dinner.  Dessert and coffee will do just fine.  Heck, drinks alone will suffice.

And I love a welcoming, cozy atmosphere but this can be achieved by simple means—namely candles, music, and kindness.

Isn’t this the time of year your house is the prettiest anyway?  Take advantage of the fact that you put up your holiday decor the day after Thanksgiving and invite some friends over to enjoy the festive atmosphere with you.

Lower Your Standards

For me, half the stress of hospitality is getting my house in decent enough shape for guests.  I’ve found that considerably lowering my standards helps with this.

If you come over for dinner, you can expect a relatively tidy main living space offset by a chronically dirty stove-top and just enough Megablocks to give the kitchen floor some lovely pops of color.

Still stressed at the thought of hosting anything at this time of year?  Remind yourself of what hospitality isn’t.

Intentional

Especially in this season of life, if it doesn’t get put on my calendar, it doesn’t happen.  If this sounds familiar, think of who you’d like to spend time with, who you’ve been wanting to get to know better, or who is new to town and might be blessed by an invitation.

Then look ahead a few weeks ahead, make some calls, and get it on the calendar.

Yes, coordinating schedules might be challenging.

So maybe just plan a couple get-togethers over the next two months.  Keep them low-key and I bet you’ll be glad you shared your home.

Flexible

If, for me, intentionality is how hospitality happens most of the time, flexibility is how it happens the rest of the time.

Whether it’s my husband inviting folks over for pizza or agreeing last minute to host our church small group, these unexpected opportunities to practice hospitality are opportunities to remind myself:

• It doesn’t matter if the laundry isn’t put away.
• It doesn’t matter if I don’t have any salad fixings to go with the pizza.
• It doesn’t matter if we’re in the middle of a remodel/pet catastrophe/busy season of life when nothing gets cleaned very well.

Hospitality Beyond Walls

Also: at the heart of hospitality is opening your home and your life to others—so, especially at this time of year, think beyond your walls.

Could you invite another family to join yours in serving a meal in a local shelter?  If the first snow comes early, maybe ask some new friends to go sledding.   Or, is there a candlelight Christmas service you could invite your neighbors to?

Here’s to enjoying the upcoming season—with old friends and new ones.

top image: Photo via

Does the thought of practicing hospitality at this time of year stress or excite you?

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