Practicing Hospitality with Large Families

As my family has grown in number, it has become challenging to practice hospitality. It is especially tricky when we want to welcome a large family into our home for a meal. Where will everyone sit? Can we afford to feed everyone? Do I even have enough bowls for everyone to use?

Thankfully, with a little advanced planning, I’ve been able to answer each of these questions in a way that yields an enjoyable time of fellowship for my family and our guests. In today’s post, I’m going to share some of the specific ways I’ve made this happen.

Tips for large family hospitality

• Use creative seating for the kids. With the leaf inserted, our dining table is designed to comfortably seat six. Using folding chairs, we’ve crammed nine individuals around it, but it wasn’t particularly comfortable. I’ve found that a better option is to provide alternative seating for the kids. The easiest option for us has been to toss a washable blanket on the floor and let the kids have an indoor picnic. Another good option has been letting the kids eat at the table we keep in our homeschool room. Neither of these approaches are fancy or formal, but the kids don’t care! In fact, they think it’s cool that they get to have a picnic or eat in their own space. You may have other options available at your house (e.g., an outdoor picnic table, a folding table and chairs, TV trays). Get creative and find what works for you and your guests.
• Make affordable, easy-to-prepare meals. Feeding additional mouths can be a strain on our grocery budget, so it is essential that we prepare meals that are affordable. Just like we don’t have money in abundance, I don’t have free time in abundance, so it’s also important that I make meals that don’t take all day to prepare. Thus, affordable, easy-to-prepare meals are the way to go. Here are some of my go-to meals for large groups:
  • Soup (such as Turkey and Wild Rice Soup or Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Spinach Soup), stew, or chili
  • Burrito bowls
  • Chili mac
  • Spaghetti and meat sauce
  • Breakfast for dinner
  • French bread pizzas
  • Baked potato bar
  • Salad bar
• Serve the food buffet style. We’ve found it is easier to leave the food on the kitchen counter and allow everyone to fill their own plates. This means that the food isn’t taking up precious space on the table and it also removes the need to pass food, which can be difficult and messy when a lot of people are cramped around the table. Moreover, I’ve found that guests feel more comfortable taking what food they want and leaving the items they don’t want when the food is spread in a buffet instead of on the table where everyone is watching what they place on their plates.
• Use disposable dishes. We have an eclectic collection of dishes in my house. In past years I’ve had to plan meals for guests carefully because we were short on bowls. The bowl situation hasn’t changed, but I’ve begun using disposable dishes when we have guests over. Not only does this allow me to serve things like soup and chili, but it saves a lot of time when I begin cleaning up.
• Think beyond meals. Hospitality isn’t synonymous with having someone over for dinner. There are many other ways to extend hospitality. For example, we’ve had a family over in the evening hours for dessert and coffee. A gathering like this is often easier to host than a full-blown meal, especially when there will be many individuals present. Other creative options include making ice cream sundaes on a Saturday afternoon, gathering around a fire pit to make s’mores some evening, and meeting at a local park for a picnic (this last option is particularly helpful if your home is simply too tiny to hold the family you’d like to host).

We tend to get distracted by the practical aspects of hospitality, but hopefully we can remember what’s most important: The people we’re welcoming into our homes. May we never forget that while we break bread, our actions and words can point our guests to the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips! How do you practice hospitality with large families?

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Over the Moon, Modest Mondays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Wonderful Wednesday, and Thursday Favorite Things.