5 Things I Expect From My Guests When I Host A Party

Let's be transparent about this for once.

Well, here we are. The year’s end is approaching and, yet again, I am knee deep in planning a meal that can feed 12 people, finding the right candles that represent my personal brand — whatever that may be — and calculating how many bottles of wine to pick up from Costco without fighting anyone in line.

Similarly to the moments after I gave birth to my first daughter, every year after my annual Christmas party, I whisper to myself, “never again.” And just like that, you have another child, and another holiday party. I adore hosting, but at the end of December, I swear up and down that I’ll never host again, never drink again, and that next year is my time to get those abs I know are hidden somewhere.

I think it is safe to say my closest group of friends enjoys (nay, expects) this annual party. I refuse to disappoint people I love dearly, so I’m elated to host over and over again.

But my guests don’t get off that easy. I expect a few things from my nearest and dearest in regards to a dinner party. Nothing should elicit anyone to clutch their pearls, but if so, hold on tight.

Being fashionably late is applauded.