How to Host a Big Dinner

How to Host a Dinner photo by Giovanni Orlando on Flickr

I host big dinners often, easily a majority of the Friday nights I’m hosting Shabbat dinner unless it’s one of the occasional but glorious dates when we’re invited to someone else’s house. Yes, glorious. While I love the satisfaction of providing a good meal and Shabbat experience for my family and other families, I can’t adequately describe the joy of having a week off from planning and preparing the feast.

If I’m hosting so many Shabbat dinners, why is my family not invited to others’ homes more often? The comment I hear from guests who don’t reciprocate is something along the lines of, “We’d love to have you, but we couldn’t do this.”

Want to know what the rest of this essay is about? It’s about me wanting to get invited to my guests’ houses more! I have 10 VERY practical ideas to help you feel less intimidated to host a big dinner whether it’s a holiday or any old day. 

Read the rest of this post at Kveller.com! It’s helpful, really. Lots of good “hosting hacks” there.

photo above by Giovanni Orlando via Flickr.

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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostTime Magazine, The GuardianThe Chicago TribuneThe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere

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