Your guests simply have to do this before they leave!
My mother was the quintessential hostess. I mean, she really was. It’s not just her family that thought so. I’ve heard many people say how much they loved to be invited to my parents’ house. Was it because the house was so grand? Mother had a great sense of style, no doubt, but that wasn’t it. Was it because of the gourmet food? She was a terrific cook, all right, but the recipes weren’t complicated or exotic.
People loved to come to my parents’ house because of their hospitality. You could walk through the door and immediately feel right at home. They had the gift of really making guests feel a part of the family!
One practice she began years ago was asking guests to sign her guest book before they left. It became a ritual that we all were happy to comply with.
Ask Guests to Sign a Guest Book Before They Leave
Guest books are available everywhere. Most of the ones she found were at TJMaxx. You can get on at greeting card stores and even on Amazon. And your guest book doesn’t even have to be a blank book. You can make your own by uploading your photos to a photo project website with like Shutterfly, or just buy a neat picture book and let guests choose a page that they like and sign it. When we held my parents’ 60th anniversary party, we had a very unconventional guest book. It was a picture book on porches, and everyone had fun choosing their favorite porch ‘page’ on which to leave well-wishes.
The next photos are from a book that my mother kept for quite a long time. It’s truly a treat to go through and read what people have written through the years. There are notes from family – even their grandkids – and many friends who had the privilege of visiting in their home. Notice the dates from this page are from 1998!
There are even envelopes with notes tucked in here and there from family members who might have been missing from certain gatherings because they were away.
So here are my reasons for asking your guests to sign a guest book before they leave:
- It’s a simple and compact way to encapsulate memories.
- It gives guests a tangible way to thank you for your hospitality and express their love for you.
- It documents both momentous and ordinary moments that can become extraordinary someday.
- It becomes a keepsake that family members will treasure for years to come.
I love this other guest book that she had, and never used. I suppose she was waiting to fill up one before she started on another. I plan to put it to good use in the days ahead.
So, what about you? Do you leave a guest book out and available to those who visit with you in your home? What do you think about this idea – would it work for you?
Y’all come and see me sometime! Just be ready to leave your mark before you say goodbye!
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2016
