Very Special Episode: Entertaining Hacks
To make it easier and more fun to entertain, we gathered hacks from ourselves, our mother (who is great at entertaining), and listeners.
So many great ideas! Now we’re both very fired up to entertain.
If you’re looking for wedding readings, you can find the collection of listeners’ suggestions here.
Resource
If you’d like to join my Super-Fan list, I’ll occasionally offer you a bonus, write about what happens behind the scenes, or ask for a small favor. I so appreciate the support and enthusiasm of Super-Fans.
What we’re reading
In our previous discussion of how we get reading ideas, we forgot to mention Anne Bogel’s excellent podcast What Should I Read Next? Another resource: Book Marks, which is an aggregator of book reviews
430
Gretchen
Hello and welcome to a Happier. A podcast where we talk about strategies and solutions for how to be happier, healthier, more productive and more creative. This week is episode 430, and that means it’s a very special episode. Every tenth episode is a very special episode and we are going to be talking about entertaining
Elizabeth
Hacks.
[Music]
Gretchen
From the two of us, from our mother, who is brilliant at entertaining and from listeners. I’m Gretchen Rubin, a writer who studies happiness, good habits, the five senses, human nature. I’m back in my little home office in New York City. And joining me today from Los Angeles is my sister, Elizabeth Craft, who has been manning the picket lines in Hollywood.
Elizabeth
That’s me, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in L.A. And Gretch, I have to say, I’ve been more in Burbank and Studio City than Hollywood. But yes.
Gretchen
I mention Hollywood.
Elizabeth
Landing.
Gretchen
Metaphorically. But for you, like it’s an actual place.
Elizabeth
Yes, I.
Gretchen
Know. So tell us about the strike.
Elizabeth
Yes, the Writers Guild of America, East and West were on strike. We couldn’t reach a deal with the companies, the AMPTP, And so we are all hitting the picket lines. And I think everybody is just hoping that we can get a fair deal as soon as possible. Everybody wants to work, but right now our careers are very much in jeopardy.
Elizabeth
It’s not clear that we can move forward in these careers if we don’t have a fair deal. So the stakes are high.
Gretchen
Are you hanging in there?
Elizabeth
Yes, I’m hanging in there. It’s really helpful to see everybody on the picket line. We get to see tons of people that we’ve worked with. So it’s just fun to catch up and share stories and walk together. And I’ve been easily getting my 10,000 steps. So that’s a bonus.
Gretchen
And you’ve been working on your novel, so you’re using the time. Yeah. Speaking of books that have been or will be written by us, we’re going to be doing the Happier Podcast Book Club coming up in episode 432, which is coming up at the end of May. And perhaps surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly, we are doing my book, Life in Five Senses.
Elizabeth
Yes. So everybody send us your questions, your comments. I’m going to get to interview Gretchen. Normally I don’t get to do that, so that’s going to be fun. Shoot us your questions.
Gretchen
Yeah, we’ve been getting some really good ones already, so keep them coming. For this episode, it’s a very special episode. All about entertaining. Yes, it’s going to be dedicated to ways to make entertaining easier, more fun, less stressful.
Elizabeth
Yes. Entertaining hacks. Yes. Now, Gretch, why does entertaining matter to happiness?
Gretchen
Well, ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree that if you had to pick one aspect of life to be the secret of happiness, it would be human relationships. To be happy, we have to have deep, intimate bonds. We need to be able to confide. We need to feel like we belong. We need to be able to get support. And just as important, we need to be able to give support.
Gretchen
So anything that deepens or broadens our connections to other people is something that’s going to make us happier. And I mean, Elizabeth, you and I talk about this all the time, that it just changes relationships. When you spend more time with people, when you invite them into your home, when you see them out of context, like maybe it’s somebody who you really like at work, but if you only see them in a work context, you sort of need to see them in other ways in order for it to feel like kind of a three dimensional friendship and entertaining is a way to help that happen.
Elizabeth
And you say even introverts need this human connection.
Gretchen
Yes, research shows that even people who are introverted really get a boost from human connection. Now, we might be very different in what kind of human connection we prefer. Like one person loves going into a crowded room and diving into a big cocktail party and another person wants to have coffee with a friend. But even something like talking to a sales clerk in a store often gives us a little charge of happiness.
Gretchen
So anything that goes to human connection is a good place to spend our time, energy and money if we’re trying to be happier.
Elizabeth
Yeah, why are we talking about this now? Gretchen, we definitely picked this moment in time.
Gretchen
What we’ve been observing in our hike from our different vantage points. Two things. One is some people are really fired up and can’t wait to get out there and really want to have fun. So they’re eager to do it, to entertain and to be entertained. And then some people aren’t getting out as much. Maybe their habits have changed, maybe they’re not commuting into the city, so they’re staying home more, or they’re just gotten out of the habit of showing up to something, even if they RSVP.
Gretchen
It seems like both things are true.
Elizabeth
Yes, it’s a good time. Whether you’re lagging behind in your socializing or you’re really eager to socialize.
Gretchen
Raring to go.
Elizabeth
Time to entertain.
Gretchen
Yeah. So we thought to help ourselves get fired up, to entertain more, because it is something that is perennially on our 23 for 23 list or whatever to make it easier, more fun, raise enthusiasm. We want to have hacks and of course we have to start with hacks from our mother.
Elizabeth
Yes, Mom is always our inspiration for entertaining. She is so great at it, does such beautiful things.
Gretchen
Which we try to copy as best as we can.
Elizabeth
Yes, So one thing mom likes to do is place cars. Yes. So she said even with as few as six, it’s nice to have an assigned seat. And we even do that at Christmas, Gretch.
Gretchen
Yeah. Even with just family and here. And she had a great idea which I have copied, which is if you’re doing it for a family thing and you have little kids or even big kids have them make the place cards, like write the names and then you can use them year after year. And it’s so sweet to see like their their little handwriting or I love stickers.
Gretchen
Now you can put stickers on them. It’s really a fun it’s a task that you can give people to create the place cards. They can be a great memento. And it is nice to just know where you’re sitting. It is it is kind of nice to know that even if it is family.
Elizabeth
And then mom also said, if you’re feeling ambitious, a menu card with the person’s name on top can be a nice place card. Yeah. Now I know Mom kind of taught herself how to print really well, and she’ll get nice paper and prints on nice paper. But I know when I go somewhere and there is a menu at my place, especially if my name is on it, I feel very fancy, glamorous.
Elizabeth
It feels.
Gretchen
Very fancy. Okay. And this is. I think mom knows how to print this stuff and she prints her own invitations. And I this is something that I want to learn how to do because she says it’s not that hard. All you have to do is basically adjust the paper side on the computer and like figure out the spacing, because you’ve talked about this in terms of elevating things.
Gretchen
Elizabeth. Like if things are or have are personalized or monogram, they feel more elevated. And I think a printed invitation feels more elevated. And it’s just a fun, creative outlet. So I want to learn how to do this myself because she always sends us a picture of her invitations and they look so great. So I think this would be fun.
Gretchen
But here’s something funny. So a friend of mine is getting married and she sent a printed save the date card. And it was very it was really cool. And I was all excited because was like, oh, it’s so fun to get something in the mail so often. Like they just send something through email. But then I also got one through email.
Gretchen
So I think she was like, Yeah, I’m going to set it in the mail and that’s fun. But people also need the convenience of the email version. So she sent both versions, which I thought was so of the moment. Very clever. But I want to learn how to print invitations because I think I would get a lot of fun from that little bit of elevation and creativity.
Elizabeth
Yes. And then another thing Mom taught us is to see people on the ends of rectangular tables. So, Gretch, explain why this is a good idea.
Gretchen
Okay, so this just came up in my life because I was planning a dinner for my in-laws for the milestone anniversary. Okay, so do you have a rectangular table, you can have equal equal numbers on both sides and nobody on the end. Or you can have somebody on the ends and mom says if you have them on the ends, it opens up people’s ability to have conversations because sometimes it’s hard to speak over a table.
Gretchen
And so if you’re sitting at the end of a rectangular table with nobody on the end, you’re just you can really only talk to one person. Or maybe if you can talk across the table, you can talk to two, but you’re sort of stuck. But if you put somebody on the end, all of a sudden everybody in the table has a lot more flexibility in having conversation.
Gretchen
And I have to say, this is something I had figured out myself and we have a kind of a wider it’s not even that wide dining room table, but I always prefer to be jammed in, closed and spaced out. And we will sit two people on the end of our dining room table. And it’s great because you can engage in conversation easily with so many people because there’s two people on the end.
Elizabeth
So that is a great tip.
Gretchen
And you might think like for tablescapes and stuff, it’s probably nice sometimes not to have people on the ends, but I think for conversation it’s it really is nice to have people on the ends.
Elizabeth
And then another one of mom’s hacks is that if there’s any way possible to have someone to clean the kitchen and do dishes just to help out, but it makes a big difference. She suggests that maybe hiring your children for the evening. Yeah. So like, the more help, the better if you can afford it, obviously.
Gretchen
Right? Right. Yeah. No, I remember. We helped out with parties in our day. It’s kind of fun to. Serving. Yes. Oh, serving yeah for sure. Okay, listen, I know you have a lot of hacks. What are some of the things you’ve figured out?
Elizabeth
Well, gosh, I think I’ve mentioned this before on the podcast, but one thing I love is trying to do a tablescape. You know, I have my sort of latent passion for tablescape. Yes.
Gretchen
Not so latant anymore. You’re lit.
Elizabeth
You’re really well, I mean, they’re minor, simple at best. But one thing that I have started doing, which again got from Mom, is having crackers on the table. Which we’ve talked about, are the things you pull apart and they make a noise and and little prizes come out. And there are so many now, not just Christmas crackers. They’re for Halloween, for Saint Patrick’s Day, for Easter.
Elizabeth
You can just get silver ones. You can get one. I think you got ones shaped like a champagne. Yes. Bottle. Exactly. They have all sorts. And it really just elevates the table and it’s an activity for everyone to do. Now, obviously, if you are hosting a bigger event or something that’s not sit down like a mahjong game, right?
Elizabeth
Crackers don’t really fit in. But for a dinner, they’re great. Yeah.
Gretchen
I completely agree.
Elizabeth
Another thing that I like to do, Gretchen, I’ve learned, is to invite people after dinner. Okay, so again, take the mahjong example. I say, okay, come at seven, I’ll have snacks and dessert and drinks and be clear that I’m not dealing with dinner. Dinner just takes it to another place. Yes, you got. If you’re ordering in, you have to have it heated enough.
Elizabeth
You have to put it out. You have to decide if you’re going to put it in other dishes or in the container it came. I mean, it’s just a hassle. Yeah. So I like to shirk dinner.
Gretchen
So and I do this with my because I’m in those children’s literature reading groups and every holiday season I have a party for everyone together and I have it for drinks and sweets and it’s just like and it’s from like 6 to 8. It’s like it’s, it is dinner time, but I’m just like, I’m not serving dinner. So eat before or eat after.
Gretchen
But that’s just not what’s happening because like, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Yes. Oh, another thing I think about avoiding dinner is brunch can be you can make brunch pretty simple. So if you still want to have a meal, but you want to keep it easy, have people over for pizza or having them over for brunch.
Elizabeth
Yes. Yes. You can get away with bagels and fruit salad. Yeah.
Gretchen
Yeah Exactly.
Elizabeth
Another hack, Gretchen, is to come up with something that’s going to be done on a regular basis. So, for instance, a book club, a dinner club, a lunch club. Mom has been in her lunch bunch for decades. And what I like about this is it just forces the issue. Yes. Now, whether you’re the person who says I’m going to just host book club every month or you rotate whatever the case, it forces you to entertain when you may not want to.
Elizabeth
Yes, because often we don’t feel like doing it, but we’re glad we did.
Gretchen
Well and it’s something that can be done at any time is often done at no time. And this is like this has to be done at this time. And so then you do it and then you’re glad you did it. Yes, that happens to me.
Elizabeth
Okay, Gretch, so this is a big one I recently decided to embrace, and this hack is to decide to entertain at the last minute. Spontaneity.
Gretchen
I feel maybe.
Elizabeth
It needs to be planned well in advance. Yeah, but the truth is, if you plan it last minute, nobody’s expecting anything.
Gretchen
Oh, well, that’s right. Yeah.
Elizabeth
So if you say, Hey, do you want to come over tonight? Super casual, then the people know it’s super casual because how not casual could it be last minute, Right. Even if it’s the day before. Right. But you know, if it’s planned really far in advance, you feel more pressure to elevate.
Gretchen
Right. If you’re like, oh, why don’t you come over and watch the Academy Awards or something like that, that day? The people are like, Oh, that would be fun. Yeah. Okay. So be on the lookout for for kind of spontaneous hospitality.
Elizabeth
Like, I have a friend who will just say, Oh, I’m thinking of having some ladies over Friday night because my kids are out of town. Do you want to come? And it’s just you just know you’re just going to hang. It’s not like a big to do.
Gretchen
Oh, that’s great. That’s great. And it’s still so fun.
Elizabeth
Yes. And it gives me less time for Hostess Neurosis, right?
Gretchen
Well, we both have that, you know, Hostess Neurosis. This is the anxiety of entertaining. Yes.
Elizabeth
Yes. Because that can be nights of sitting up in the middle of the night thinking, I’m going to have to go to the grocery store on Sunday or whatever. And doing it last minute definitely cuts down on the Hostess Neuroses.
Gretchen
Well, and you and I and mom, too, we do get hostess neurosis. So that is the anxiety of entertaining. So we want to get rid of that as much as possible.
Elizabeth
Okay, Gretch. Now here’s a real next level hack. Oh, I have I have not myself done this, but I aspire to. Oh, yes, I know people who do, which is to have a party favor.
Gretchen
Oh yeah.
Elizabeth
Because I think we think of party favors as something kids have. Yes, but I’ve been to several things where people give a party favor and it’s just so fun. So, for example, someone gave my favorite Armenian pastry, which is called gata, tied up in like a cellophane bag with a ribbon. And you just took that with you when you left. Another time, somebody gave everybody bracelet flasks, which were just really fun and funny, you know?
Elizabeth
A kick. Yeah. A friend of mine at her birthday party, she had a milestone birthday. She gave everybody a little box that had hearts candy hearts in it with phrases on it about her. You know, her initials, her age, something about her fun. She likes to do triathlons. So it said, try another person gave a little plants at the end of a dinner party, which was really sweet.
Elizabeth
So, I mean, it just kind of fills you with like a warm feeling to walk away with something.
Gretchen
Yeah, well, you know, this is would be a great thing for listeners. Do you have good ideas for favors? Because this is the kind of thing where you don’t want to spend a lot of money, But sometimes it is fun to have something, especially if it is personalized or it feels very appropriate. It does elevate it. It makes it feel like more like a thing.
Gretchen
It’s kind of the opposite of spontaneity. It really shows care and thoughtfulness and that makes more consideration. Yeah. And then you can just get ideas from other people like we do from listeners.
Elizabeth
Yeah. And Gretch, my last hack is to co-host. Whenever I co-host with Sarah, for instance, we had the writers over for the finale of Fantasy Island. It’s much easier when it’s not just me, when I have my co-host.
Gretchen
Yeah. Oh, that’s a great idea. And then there’s some hacks that both of us have learned very instant. And listen, this is true for mahjong. It’s true for I had a taste party, which I write about in life in five senses, where you have some kind of activity that you’re doing.
Elizabeth
Or like charade night. Yes. You know.
Gretchen
Right. I did. Years ago, I was at a dinner party where we all started talking about perfume and people were so fired up. I keep thinking I should have a perfume party where everybody brings their favorite and we all, like, smell or we had a listener. Melissa said that she has a podcast club instead of a book club because her friends are all in this phase of life where they’re so busy.
Gretchen
They weren’t reading the book, but they can all listen to a podcast and talk about it. So I thought that was a good idea for an activity for a party.
Elizabeth
Yes. All right. Gretch, what are some of your entertaining hacks?
Gretchen
Aliza A lot of my hacks are sort of versions of your hacks. One is to look for an opportunity to entertain. Like maybe it’s the anniversary of your book or there’s some other kind of milestone. I think that can be fun, to have a reason to do it again. Something that’s done at any time is often done at no time to look for reason.
Gretchen
And here’s one. Sometimes with things like book clubs, people can get worried or annoyed if if not enough people come or if they feel like people aren’t showing up. And my mantra is it’s always the right number of people. The right number of people always show up, even if it’s two people. One of my favorite book clubs was just two people showed up.
Gretchen
It was me and a friend I was hosting. So instead of hosting, we just went out for dinner and it was fantastic. So just tonight, I think if a lot of people come or not that many people come, that’s okay. It’s always the right number. And then I thought this was just something funny. If you’re because we are coming up in wedding season, I thought this was great language.
Gretchen
If you’re trying to limit the number of children at your wedding, how do you articulate that? So this invitation said, We love you and we love your children, but due to capacity constraints, we’ve had to institute the bottle rule, which I had never heard of. It explains, If your children aren’t bottle feeding that is under one year or hitting the bottle, the alcohol bottle, they’ll have to miss the fun.
Gretchen
So I thought that was just a fun kind of way to announce a rule that was kind of whimsical. And speaking of readings, we are coming up on wedding season. And so I’ll remind people that at gretchenrubin.com/resources you can get our collection of wedding readings if you’re doing wedding readings.
Elizabeth
Yes, we are always looking for wedding readings. Coming up we have entertaining hacks from listeners. But first, this break. Alright, Gretch, we are back with hacks from listeners and they’re in a few different categories. The first one, as we mentioned earlier, is get help.
[Music]
Gretchen
Yes. So a few listeners wrote in to remind us about an idea that we talked about in episode 393, which is a hack that came from First Lady Jill Biden, which is to use Post-it notes that list last minute jobs that people can do to help. So you you put up all these Post-it notes, and then when people ask to help, you just say pick a Post-it note and do it and take the Post-it note down.
Gretchen
And so it can be things like cut up the lemons for drinks, open wine bottles, fill the ice bucket, fill the water glasses, light the candles, and so people can see what jobs need to be done. Claim a job, do it, and then you can see what remains to be done. And you don’t have to be in the middle of it.
Gretchen
And I think the larger point is ask for help, really look for ways to recruit other people when possible. You don’t have to do every single task yourself if you don’t have to do every single task yourself.
Elizabeth
Yeah. When we had people over and the other night to watch Fantasy Island, I just said to everybody, Please help yourself to drinks, because if I’m just running around, make sure everybody has something to drink. I’m going to drive myself nuts.
Gretchen
Yeah. And like, let people bring their stuff into the kitchen. It’s like, that takes one second. If you know, many hands make light work, etc.. And then we get a lot of suggestions related to making prep work easier.
Elizabeth
Ellen said Make a list of things I need to buy, prepare and do that I keep and check off before each party stock up on wine and booze each time I go grocery shopping months ahead of the party to cut down on party expenses on the month of the party. Right. That’s smart.
Gretchen
Yeah. Spread it out over time, Andrea says. For each holiday, I have an index card with a menu and shopping list on it. Well, this is great. If you tend to do something like you have a lot of traditions because you don’t need to reinvent that list, you’ve got it, Cheryl said.
Elizabeth
I toss all the dirty dishes and a laundry basket and hide them in the bathtub before guests arrive. I love that woman after my own heart. Yeah, love.
Gretchen
It. Now on the opposite side, Marcia and says, I keep my house company ready with a baseline of cleanliness and a couple of snacks and drinks on hand so that it’s easy to spontaneously invite friends over. So I think that works for some people, but others have to just say, like, deal with it company.
Elizabeth
Yes, Deal with the mess.
Gretchen
Deal with the mess.
Elizabeth
Christina said for kids birthday parties the night before, I pre scoop ice cream into cupcake liners and put them in the freezer on a baking sheet. When it’s time to cut the cake, it’s easy to ask one of the adults at the party to grab them and pass them out. As I cut the cake. It saves time as you’re trying to serve everyone and is one less sticky mess the day of the party.
Elizabeth
And if you have multiple flavors, you don’t have the flavors mixing on the ice cream scoop bouncing back and forth. Since you scoop all of one flavor at a time, this hack always gets a brilliant from a first time guest.
Gretchen
Well, this is our holiday dinners. It’s always like, okay, remember to take out the ice cream while we’re eating the turkey or else it’s going to be rock hard. It’s always kind of a little bit of a yes. That’s a great idea. Natalie says One way I keep entertaining, simple and environmentally friendly is I have a birthday box containing everything needed for a birthday party in one place.
Gretchen
Balloons, a reusable happy birthday sign. Birthday candles, photo props, dreamers, etc. This way I’m not buying plastic decorations, only to be thrown out in 24 hours. It saved me lots of time energy.
Elizabeth
Yes, I do this with new Year’s. Whenever you end up having people over for New Year’s, I get out that box. Amy said, Run the dishwasher and empty before guests arrive. Then as the night goes on, you add to it so your kitchen doesn’t look too cluttered. Or when everyone leaves, you’ll have one less thing to do when you’re tired and don’t want to clean up.
Gretchen
That’s a great idea.
Elizabeth
All right, Gretch, coming up, we’re going to have more listener hacks. But first, this break.
[Music]
Gretchen
More hacks we can all learn from each other. These hacks are so helpful, and this bunch of hacks is related to lowering the bar, which is.
Elizabeth
Like, yes.
Gretchen
Don’t again. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Don’t get it perfect. Get it going. Remember all those mantras?
Elizabeth
Yeah. So Julie Elise says we have an awesome front porch, was seating for four comfortably and six pushing it great for small gatherings are happy hour with a set time limit come for a drink great.
Gretchen
It’s sort of self-limiting. Yes, Shannon says. I love themed potlucks. For example, a board night where everyone brings a different type of charcuterie board, easily customizable, a little more fun than a regular potluck, and the host doesn’t have to do everything. So again, it’s like you’re elevating something, putting your own little spin or theme on it, but basically in a way that keeps things manageable.
Elizabeth
Yes, Bonnie said No Judgment Fridays where you invite another family over for takeout. Only one rule, you’re not allowed to clean up.
Gretchen
I love it. I love it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. No judgment, right? Love it. Like give it a name, slapping a fun name on it. And it goes. Amy says, We host open house style cocktail parties from 4 to 6 p.m. We’ve had fantastic attendance because many friends can pop in on their way to other gatherings because it isn’t meal time.
Gretchen
I put out snacks which skips the need to make a big meal. Now listen, this strikes me as the kind of thing that could work really well in some places, but not others like this would not work in New York City very well. And I imagine that it might not work that well in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth
Yes, because you have to go such far distances that people don’t want to drive to one neighborhood and then drive to a whole other neighborhood, although it could work. If you’re going to a school event, Gretch as well.
Gretchen
See, this is what I’m thinking. We happen to just live very close to our daughter’s school. And so we could have done this. Why don’t you come for a drink before this big meeting that all the parents are going to or this performance or whatever? Because people would have been in our neighborhood anyway. So, yeah, I wish I wish I had kind of clued into this as an idea in Kansas City.
Gretchen
I think people probably do this a lot. It’s probably easier. So that that’s.
Elizabeth
Good. Well, in Kansas City, they do the thing of like drinks one place, dinner, another place, maybe even dessert somewhere else.
Gretchen
That would be super not super fun. Yeah. Now this is another bunch of hacks related to just making it easier. How do you make the actual entertaining easier?
Elizabeth
Yes. So Jean Marie said, We love having a signature thing. We host a crawfish boil a few times a year and it’s become something family and friends really look forward to. And we can easily pull it off because we have done it several times and have a system. We also host every Christmas Eve, but the whole family plans the menu and contributes.
Gretchen
I think this is really good to have one that you just execute the same way. If you’re somebody who has hostess addresses because it just gets easier and easier the more you do the same thing. I think that’s right. Yes. Chrissy says nothing beats brownie mix. People rave over a warm brownie with a scoop of ice cream and you can offer different ice cream flavors or use different make sense for your brownies.
Gretchen
It does not have to be fancy. That is so true. Are like TollHouse chocolate chip cookies. There is nothing better.
Elizabeth
Michelle says. I love the Aussie way of entertaining. Bring your own meat and drinks. If it’s a barbecue or if dinner. The host does the mean and asks each guest to bring something to compliment. Still, everyone brings their own drinks and shares. It’s very cost effective so we can host most weekends.
Gretchen
I think Australians are famous for their hospitality.
Elizabeth
So yes, that’s a great idea.
Gretchen
Sarah suggests tacos with various fillings work for meat lovers, vegans, gluten free dairy and nut allergies and picky kids. They are my go to for feeding a group, especially when I don’t know all the dietary needs.
Elizabeth
And finally, Gretch, our last hack is actually about being a guest at a party as opposed to hosting a party. And that comes from Kate. She says, Hi, Gretchen, I absolutely loved your episode 424 with Michael Melcher about his book, Your Invisible Network. He talks about being a secret agent at a party where your mission is to make the party go better.
Elizabeth
And this is one of my favorite things to do at a party, especially when I don’t know anyone or feel awkward. I’m pretty good at taking photos, so I give myself the job of party photographer. I make sure to photograph any special touches up close and especially grab a few shots of the hosts and or their children. I try to imagine what they would like in their family photo memories and make sure to photograph that when I get home.
Elizabeth
I very lightly edit mostly just crop my favorites and then I text them to the host as soon as possible. I find that as a host myself, I almost never take that many pictures of my party and would love the mementos. I usually get rave reviews and often find my photos on social media posts later in the day.
Elizabeth
I’m happy to help and it creates a warm bond between awkward guests. Think class birthday party and host that can help forge friendships later on so.
Gretchen
Many great hacks. I am totally fired up to entertain Elizabeth, how about you.
Elizabeth
Yes.
Gretchen
Let us know if you need to try this at home and how some of these hacks for entertaining work for you. Or if you have more, we would still love to learn them, share them, use them. Let us know on Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter or Facebook. Drop us an email at podcast@gretchenrubin.com. Or as always, you can go to the show notes.
Gretchen
This is happiercast.com/430 for everything related to this episode.
Elizabeth
And what’s the resource for this week?
Gretchen
I just want to remind everybody you can sign up to be a superfan if you go to happiercast.com/superfan sign up, I send occasional emails with sort of behind the scenes things, bonus offers, requests for favors, nothing onerous. I have some fun things planned for the summer. I so appreciate this group of superfans, so sign up if that sounds appealing and.
Elizabeth
What we’re reading.
Gretchen
Yeah. Okay. But listen, before we talk about what we’re reading, in a previous episode, a listener asked how you and I get our reading suggestions, and we heard from many listeners who reminded us of Anne Bogle’s excellent podcast. What Should I Read Next? I can’t believe I forgot to mention that great podcast. Also, Katie mentioned bookmarks, which is an aggregator of published book reviews, not unlike Rotten Tomatoes for books.
Gretchen
Literary Hub does that. So those are two additional ways to get ideas for reading if you want them. And Elizabeth, what are you reading?
Elizabeth
I am reading Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer.
Gretchen
And I am just about to start time Will Darken It by William Maxwell. And that’s it for this episode of Happier. Remember to try this at home. Try some of these hacks for entertaining. Let us know what you tried and if it worked for you.
Elizabeth
Thanks. Our executive producer Chuck Reed and everyone at Cadence13. Get in touch. Gretchen’s on Instagram and Tik Tok @gretchenrubin, and I’m on Instagram @lizcraft. Our email address is podcast@gretchenrubin.com.
Gretchen
And if you like this show, please be sure to tell a friend if you have a friend who’s very interested in entertaining or who suffers from post neurosis, please let them know about the show. That is how most people discover our.
Elizabeth
Show until next week. I’m Elizabeth Craft.
Gretchen
And I’m Gretchen Rubin. Thanks for joining us. Onward and upward.
[Music]
Elizabeth
Speaking of entertaining, Chuck, thanks for having us. Over the other night, Gretch, Adam and I went to Chuck and Amanda’s for dinner on Wednesday.
Gretchen
Fun!
Speaker 3
It was so much fun. We almost didn’t do it. It was like running around all day. And Amanda, my wife, said, Well, it’s casual or cancel. They’re all good. They’re good friends. Eleanor said It’s casual or canceled.
Elizabeth
I love that. I’m going as far as saying that.
00:31:09:18 – 00:31:23:05
Gretchen
Yeah, I need the mug!
[Music]
Gretchen
From the onward project.