un = in :smack:
ellele, I have longish hair too. The candles are safely away from any reasonable bathroom activities, since my friends are now of the age and general sobriety to not be engaging in some of the more athletic couple’s activities that went on in the bathrooms at parties during my long-lost, mostly misspent youth.
As for the “guest embarrassment”, um, well, sometimes the old GI tract plays these tricks on us, particularly after overindulgence in eating and drinkiing. A can of air freshener can be handy as well, but I like the subtlety of scented candles.
I second the air freshener in the bath. I’ve left a can out in our guest bathroom ever since a close friend seemed embarrassed at the…scent…she’d left behind.
Well, you might want to make sure your guests don’t have asthma first. I have had several attacks due to air fresheners, and the material data sheets on those things state that they exacerbate respiratory ailments like asthma and emphysema.
I love the idea of serving dessert in a different room - if only I had a different room to serve it in! All I can think of was that it was helpful to us last time to tape signs on our trash cans indicating which one is for paper, which one for plastic/metal, and which for trash.
If I’m going to be serving tea informally, I boil a kettleful of water soon before people get there. That way, no matter when we decide to have tea, it takes less time to boil a second time.
Whoops, thought I should explain this one. Often guests don’t realize that we separate our trash, and just put their trash into whichever bin comes to their eye first. After we found a dirty diaper in the metal/plastic recycling, that was it.
no matter how formal/informal the gathering, clean the bathroom the day of. There is nothing worse that being a guest and not wanting to touch the toilet facilities. Hair, dust, soapy residue, toothpaste streaks in the sink, feces, blood, and mold are not welcoming. If you are in a one bathroom home, make sure that your toothbrush, hairbrush, etc. are relatively clean. Pull the hairs out of your brush, clean the toothpaste residue off your toothbrush and if it is all worn and frayed, toss it and get a new one. Provide a trash can in the bathroom (single guys tend to forget this) and use your cleanest handtowels. Use several if you can so as one gets damp, guests can use a fresh one.
I’m still trying to get past the Library Room, too!
I try to do as much as possible ahead of time so I can actually spend time with my guests. I don’t do formal, as I don’t have the space. But just making sure everyone has what they need keeps me hoppin’.
Indeed, the bathroom(s) should be clean. One thing my mother does when she has a sizeable group of people over, wheter formally or informally, is to set out disposable towels that are nicely printed with the word “Guest.” This way the guests won’t have to share a hand towel that is sure to get wet and grimey after only a few uses. The decorative cloth towels can stay “decorative” throughout the evening. She also puts out special decorative wicker baskets to dispose of the towels. If I’m at the party I will throw one in there before everyone arrives so that they know what that basket is for. (The baskets have a muslin lining so not everybody realizes that it’s not a laundry basket) She still has the regular garbage with a lid for nice little things like tampons and snot rags.
Another tip, which I use when having an impromptu get together at my home is to dim the lights and light several candles for the lighting. Not only does it create a cozy ambience but it hides the fact that I didn’t dust or vacuum 
You guys are making it sound like the mansion from the Clue game. It’s not like that - it’s just a 19th century farmhouse, a bit rambling and ramshackle. It’s a nice house with a friendly, welcoming feel, but it’s not grand or imposing.
I like to get a variety of colors of plastic servicewear, or tie small colored ribbons on the handles of either the servicewear or the serving dishes to indicate whether a dish is omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan. (Omni’s get black, Veg green and Vegan white, usually).
I keep a few preprinted copies of each recipe handy, because someone always wants it. I do the same if I’m bringing a dish to someone else’s dinner, 'cause I’m a flake and I will NOT remember to email it to you, no matter what I say at the time.
I always make at least one desert without nuts, and make it known.
Unless it’s a cookout, I always use cloth napkins and real (ie, not disposable) plates.
Candles on the table are always a nice touch.
As others have said, it’s a must to clean the bathroom as well as the living and dining rooms before people comve over.
I get as much done as possible before the guests arrive. A half-hour before folks are supposed to show up, I pour myself a nice glass of wine and take off my apron. That way I’m in a more festive mood when people get there.
And real cutlery, please. It’s better for the enviro, and there’s nothing more disgusting than having to pick plastic tines out of your food. Either real cutlery or finger food and lots of paper towels.
Do everything you can in advance, fill the urn with grounds and water and have it set up and plugged in so all you have to do is flip the switch. Fill the kettle so you need only turn on the stove. Have the cream and milk in the creamers and ready in the fridge.
In the bathroom, small mouthwash and mints are very much appreciated as well. Also I always put spray air freshener, just in case, and greatly appreciate when it has been used! (There is a ceiling fan, thank goodness!) I also put a large flower arrangement in the washroom my guests will use. A hostess gift of flowers is put immediately into an at hand vase and put into the bathroom where the guests admire it all night.
I love these suggestions and hope they keep coming.
Any hint I can give is probably in “Entertaining With Elegance” by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux. It was written in the 60s, so it can be a tad dated, but the general ideas are swell. Ditto her book “A Guide to Elegance”, about dressing well. It’s been updated & re-released: http://tinyurl.com/yngdkv
VCNJ~
Manage the smell in the house. I have a recipe for Rosemary Walnuts (basically: melt butter, add rosemary, salt, cayenne pepper, stir in bag of walnuts, roast for ten minutes) that can be done ahead, but it’s better for right before people arrive because it makes the house smell really nice.
If your guests have varying tastes, as mine often do (since so many of my friends and family are really picky eaters), do a “modular” dinner. My favorite is to do a mixed grill with small pieces of steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp, etc., and then three or four sauces to mix and match. (If you go to a restaurant supply store, you can get a 1000-pack of little sauce cups for like three bucks. Very useful if you do this type of dinner often.)
DoctorJ, the Rosemary Walnuts sound delicious! Can you post the ingredient proportions?
Officially I must despise you for suggesting the use of decaf.
Unofficially, I think I love you.