Dear Mom, How Do I Host - Prime Rib or Piñata? On Knowing When Not to Repeat Yourself

Prime rib one year. Piñata the next.

You host the same thing every year.

It’s not fancy. It’s just the dinner people associate with you — the one they ask about in advance. Someone always wants to know if you’re making that dish again, and you always say yes, because that’s what you do.

You don’t look at a recipe. You don’t debate the menu. You pull out the same serving pieces because they’re already right there. You know how long everything takes because you’ve done it enough times to stop thinking about it.

People arrive the way they always do. A few early. A few late. Someone brings something unnecessary. Someone else forgets what you asked them to bring. It all evens out.

You’re good at this. And everyone knows it.

And then, somewhere in the middle of the evening — not at a dramatic moment, just during something ordinary — it occurs to you that you might be finished with this version of things.

Not hosting altogether. Just this version of it.

You don’t outgrow the people so much as the routine.

There’s nothing disloyal about changing a tradition. Some things aren’t meant to be preserved exactly as they are. They’re meant to be adjusted by the people who know them best.

When you stop repeating yourself, something else has a way of showing up.

People who live well aren’t the ones who keep everything exactly the same. They’re the ones who know when to loosen their grip — and do it without making a fuss.

If you’ve been carrying something mostly because it’s what people expect of you, it may be time to surprise them — gently.

Maybe this year looks less like the prime rib and more like a piñata.

Either way, you’re still the one who knows how to bring people together.

Warmly,

Kristy

This is always a conversation — if this stirred something for you, I’d love to hear it in the comments, or email me at DearMom@TruittHouseLiving.com.