Hosting with Intention
Whether you’re hosting a small group of family or planning a party, Graceful Spaces Organizer Danni Nolz is here to help.
Danni Nolz grew up spending her summers in Italy, where she developed a love of food and cooking.
Being in the kitchen, surrounded by friends and family, is Danni’s happy place and we can attest that she generously shares the love—swing by to say hi and you’ll be cozied up at her counter, sipping a tea, eating something fresh from her oven an hour later.
We asked Danni to share her advice for hosting with intention this holiday season. Whether you’re organizing a special family dinner or a group event, Danni’s ideas will help you plan with purpose to ensure you enjoy the occasion as much as your guests.
You set the tone.
I always try to remember that I’ve put this collection of friends together, invited them into my sanctuary (my home!) and I want them to leave feeling joyful and that they’ve been well taken care of and that we’ve all had a wonderful time.
Happy host = happy guests.
I like to think of myself as a social butterfly, landing on every guest—having meaningful moments, ensuring they have what they need, making introductions and then fluttering away to the next guest.
Applaud your high expectations of yourself—and then, let them go.
I’ll admit, I go a little over the top cleaning to prepare to have people over. To date, no friend has needed to use my master bathroom, but I still clean it like they might. We have a busy house with lots of cooking and activities, but I’d rather have dishes in the sink and laugh with friends than miss out on any of those fun moments.
Don’t apologize.
I make it a point never to apologize for all the things I didn’t get to. My guests will never know if I didn’t make a second appetizer, but by apologizing or exuding any kind of stress, I might inadvertently make someone feel like they’re a burden, and I’d never want anyone to feel that way coming into my home.
Where you feed them, they will follow.
Keep food close to where you want your guests to congregate. At my home, people tend to gather at the bar, but our sunroom has more comfortable seating and a great evening breeze. It’s not an intuitive spot to sit, but it’s always such a happy place once I move everyone over.
No one gets the last bite (because I will not run out of food!).
Whatever we are planning for, I go big. I’ve always got plenty of food, drinks and snacks. I never want anyone to feel like they’re taking the last bite! (Luckily, I also have a husband who looks forward to leftovers, so it works out well!)
Stock your bar with fun offerings.
I love decanting unique juices—like passion fruit or calamansi—and putting them in pretty glass bottles. I’ll typically put out a few different alcohol options and let my friends make their own drinks. I like to keep the bar separate from the kids’ drink station, and if I’m serving a signature drink in a pitcher, I’ll label it so the kids don’t get confused.
Click here for some gift ideas for the cook!
Make it a family affair.
Some of my favorite memories are of the large family dinners my mother would host when I was younger. There would be many courses that always followed the same cadence, and lots of drinks—Lemincelo, Sambuca, Port and Grappa—and the evenings would always end with big conversations, debates and even the occasional board game! My sister and I would fall asleep on our parents’ laps and eventually be carried to bed, where we’d hear the murmur of talking and laughter in our dreams. Those happy sounds of family are so meaningful to me, and something I hope my kids will feel a similar sense of nostalgia for, too, one day.
