how to be a good guest

We are now nine days into December, and I am pretty sure I can assume your holiday party calendar is beginning to fill up. I know mine sure is! I also know how hard it is becoming to pry yourselves out of bed in the morning as the countdown to Christmas draws nearer. So here are a few tips which will help you look your absolute best no matter how tired and in need of the upcoming holiday you are. I am going to ensure that you are the guest hosts will want to have at their parties.

It’s true we are all beginning to run a little ragged come this time of year. Our skin takes a beating, our hands and nails look like the Sahara desert and I cannot even talk about the kind of havoc that wearing a scarf does to my hair! So, let’s start by trying to make ourselves our most gorgeous for all those upcoming holiday photo-ops. The prettier you are, the more displayed family photos and albums you will have; instead of the ones we untag on Facebook or hide under the bed and in the back of closets. Believe me, you are going to want the memories one day.

a pre-marathon dinner party: running for our dinner

About a month ago, I hosted a pre-marathon dinner party at my newly revamped – okay, newly painted – house for all us runners, their significant others and my younger brother the night before running twenty-one kilometres.

The goal of the night was to feed the runners the carbs they would need for the big day while satisfying the pallet, while NOT driving myself so crazy I would feel like I had already run the twenty-one kilometres before it even began.

The key to the evening was preparation. I sent out the invitations a month or so in advance, making sure to ask if anyone had any food allergies or dislikes, then planned the carb-loaded menu.