THE TRUITT HOUSE EDIT
Come with us as we tell meaningful stories of preservation, restoration and hospitality. Explore Suffolk, Virginia’s rich history and share in our favorite experiences at The Truitt House.
A Proper Table Is Not a Suggestion
Every host who has ever set a proper table knows this moment. The flowers are just so. The cards are written in your best hand. You’ve thought not only about who should sit where, but why — who will draw whom out, who needs a buffer, who will carry the conversation without realizing they’re doing the work. It’s invisible labor, and it’s the whole point.
Which is why nothing lands quite the same way as discovering that someone has quietly decided your careful arrangement was… optional.
Today’s Dear Mom question isn’t really about place cards. It’s about what happens when the structure you built — thoughtfully, generously — is treated as a suggestion. And what a host owes herself in that moment.
When You Want to Include Everyone But Don’t Have Enough Space…
My dining room table seats twelve. I’ve squeezed in fourteen more times than I can count, and it was cozy — the conversation was easy, the candles burned low, and it just felt right, the way it does when everyone’s happy to be there.
The point is, we were around the dining room table. Once you start reaching for the piano bench and the folding chairs, the evening takes on a whole different kind of personality. That’s perfectly fine — if it’s what you want. But if it isn’t, this is where a good host learns the art of making choices.
Dear Mom, How Do I Host - Prime Rib or Piñata? On Knowing When Not to Repeat Yourself
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.
Borrowed Daughters and Thanksgiving Tables
A borrowed daughter, a dish room adventure, and a Thanksgiving centerpiece made from magnolia and memories. Today I got to be “Dear Mom” for Cassidy as she prepares to host her first family holiday—and my heart felt full in all the best ways.
When Doing The Thing IS The Thing.
Thanksgiving isn’t just about the turkey — it’s the laughter, the stories, the flour on the counter, and the familiar rhythm of cooking together. This year at The Truitt House, we’re welcoming family, new faces, and all our favorite dishes as we savor the beautiful, messy work of making a holiday meal.
Just a Bite...
A simple cheese board can turn strangers into neighbors and “just a bite” into a clean plate. Hospitality really is that easy.
Dear Mom, How Do I Host?
Hosting isn’t about flawless details so much as creating a sense of ease the moment someone steps through your door. A table set with intention, a candle or two flickering, music low in the background, and a drink guests can pour themselves — that’s the quiet choreography that makes an evening feel gracious. Southerners know this instinctively: people remember how they were welcomed, not whether the forks matched. Once the atmosphere is warm and the hostess is at ease, the night has already found its footing.