These days, more than ever, we need each other. We’re not meant to live isolated. Seeing each other’s faces is a large part of what brings joy in life. Each of us needs someone who will speak truth and life to us, who will encourage us. We are also meant to do that for others.

Many times this face-to-face time takes place hosting dinner around the table. After all, we all need to eat and there is something in the wiring of humans to fellowship over a plate of something good to eat. However, there are times life is full to overflowing and hosting a larger dinner party has to be taken off the table.

It’s ok to keep things simple.

Sometimes, we need to take things off our plates in order to focus on what is truly important. When it comes to face time with others, it’s easy to create a picture in our heads of what needs to be just so in order to have someone over.

Presence over perfection.

This is something we’re still leaning into…it can be hard to let go of all the lavish ideals we have for get togethers. Yet we are seeing the impact of simplicity over and over again lately. Intentional presentness can really be exactly what’s needed without all the bells and whistles (as much as we might enjoy those, too!).

And that prompts the question: what does it looks like to keep a get together simple? What does it look like to focus on being present with each other with an atmosphere that lends itself to that?

Here’s a few thoughts:

• Porch time: this is one of our personal favorites. If you have a porch, or any comfortable outside seating area, invite friends to gather there. The fresh air will be rejuvenating and an outside area is often faster to clean than main living spaces.
• Coffee date: this can be at your place, at a park, or even a coffee shop that has more private nooks where you are able to converse well. If at your place, you could offer a simple fruit dish or something easy to set out.
• Spend time while working on projects: we all have projects we are working on. If really pressed for time, consider inviting friends over to fellowship as you each make progress on your projects. Or, when there is the time, help each other on projects. Over the years, we have volunteered to help friends with their projects, whether that be painting, decorating, gardening etc, and had the best time connecting as we worked! We’ve also invited friends over to work on their own projects while we worked on ours.
• Recreational time: every once in a while, maybe there’s someone you know who would enjoy some recreational activities – whether that’s doing something creative, taking a walk, playing a game, etc. These can be simple things that are easy to plan and carry out.

Reset and refresh

Quite frankly, most of our schedules can be so hectic that time spent in the company of good friends doing something simple can be a breath of fresh air. Presence over perfection.

Give your space a quick touch up if needed, tidy common spaces, freshen the bathroom, and let good conversation carry the time.

Keep things light and easy

Offering a beverage and something light to eat can be sufficient refreshment when wanted.

When we need to keep things light and easy, we’ll often offer a cup of coffee (an espresso machine is a bonus as it allows for endless variations and a gourmet experience without hassle).

To round out the coffee, we’ll often also offer a baked good. As we talk in our blog post about tips for navigating the holidays, we like to keep a few baked goods stashed in the freezer to pull out when needed. Blueberry crumb cake is a good choice as it is very versatile. Cranberry orange bread is also an excellent option for Autumn and Winter.

Fruit or vegetables also make a good choice for those times you don’t have a baked good on hand.

So now that we’ve shared some of the ways that we keep gatherings simple, we want to hear from you. Do you plan to try any of these options? What are things you do during busy seasons to spend time with family and friends in a way that is unhurried? Remember presence over perfection.