The Art of Hosting: Your Guide to a Joyful Celebration

Are you also convinced that summer vacation will last forever? How comforting to realize that it actually doesn’t. Summer break is coming to an end, and just around the corner are the holidays. If this year you’re planning to host, now is the perfect time to start preparing, at least in your thoughts and planning. There’s no need to panic; just take a deep breath, grab a pen and paper, and start jotting down your ideas. We've gathered five golden rules for perfect hosting, ensuring a pleasant experience for both you and your guests.

(Photo: shutterstock)

1. Plan Ahead

If there's one thing you cannot overlook before hosting, it’s planning ahead. Sit down and write: how many guests do you think you'll be inviting? Are they siblings and their families, or perhaps your children and grandchildren? If overnight accommodations are needed – do you have enough beds? Will you need to arrange for extra mattresses? What about linens, do you have enough or should you ask guests to bring their own? How about Shabbat clocks for air conditioning? Are there enough hot trays? Any question that comes to mind deserves to be noted.

2. Make Lists

A good list is a host's best friend. Did you read all the questions in the first section? Turn them into checklist items. Feel free to add more and more items – early planning is key to successful hosting.

(Photo: shutterstock)

3. Prepare Everything in Advance

The more you can prepare before the guests arrive, the easier hosting will be. You can cook food a few days ahead and freeze it; salads can be chopped beforehand and stored in the fridge in an airtight container without dressing. If you have a guest room, prepare it the day before, and if the kids need to clear out their beds for guests, start preparing the room as soon as they wake up. Do everything possible before the actual hosting day – arrival day is usually filled with last-minute details that need attention, so it’s best to reserve that day for things that truly can’t be done ahead of time.

4. Guest Perspective

Before guests arrive, take a "guest’s eye view" around your home – is the floor clean? Is there enough toilet paper? If you're hosting for Shabbat – is there already cut paper ready? When the beds are set up, place a rolled face towel on each guest's pillow. This adds a personal touch and a bit of "hotel luxury" as soon as they arrive.

If guests arrive two to three hours before Shabbat, make sure you have something to offer them to eat. Guests can arrive hungry and thirsty from their journey, and as noted in the book *Ahavat Chesed*: "When the guest arrives, place food and drink before them, for perhaps they are hungry and thirsty but too shy to ask. Do everything quickly, for this way the guest will understand that they are loved and welcome" (Ahavat Chesed, Part 3, Chapter 9)..

5. Order and Organization

Hosting with children will not keep the house tidy for long, but a well-organized and pleasant home will certainly make guests feel good upon entering. It’s wise to conduct a thorough cleaning a day or two prior, leaving light cleaning for the last minute on hosting day. Your guests will appreciate seeing you relaxed and happy at the holiday table, rather than exhausted and impatient, which leads us to our next point.

(Photo: shutterstock)

6. Warm Welcoming

There’s great reward in the mitzvah of hosting: "Welcoming guests grants the woman children" (Book of Attributes, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), but it's crucial to execute the mitzvah with a warm smile and a happy heart. More than tasty food and a comfortable bed, your guests will appreciate kind and respectful treatment. The phrase "feel at home" perfectly encapsulates this idea – let your guests know they are desired and that you enjoy their company – this way, you will fulfill a true mitzvah done from the heart.

7. Finally – Don't Forget to Escort Your Guests Out

The mitzvah of hospitality reaches its peak when you escort the guest out of your home. As the sages taught: "Anyone who accompanies their friend even four cubits in the city, will suffer no harm" (Sotah 46b). Accompanying guests outside shows them they were welcome, that you enjoyed their company, and that parting was difficult for you. When a guest sees the host escorting them, they feel that indeed the host was happy to receive them and loved their stay. Moreover, escorting is considered a protective merit on the way: "Come and see how great is the power of the mitzvah of accompanying a guest, for both the one accompanying and the one being accompanied suffer no harm that day".

Do you have additional tips for hosts? Share them in the comments.