I love hearing your New Year’s resolutions — the more creative, the better. Resolutions don’t have to be hard and serious: You might plan to try a new dessert recipe each month, or go to a new restaurant, watch a movie you haven’t seen, or try a new board game. Half way through January, it seems to me that the more fun the resolution is, the more likely it is still around!
It’s not too late to choose a positive focus for 2026. And after suggesting a personal curriculum and praying the Divine Office, I thought I’d tell you my own resolution.
My goal? Hospitality. My husband and I plan to invite a family over for dinner at least once a month this year, and more often when we can.
Our inspiration came from St. Benedict, one of our favorite saints. He taught his monks to practice radical hospitality, writing, “All guests are to be welcomed as Christ.”
Radical hospitality is at the core of Benedictine spirituality. Centuries later, Benedictine monasteries are still known for warmly welcoming strangers. I can't think of a better value to hold as a guiding light this year — or really, any time.
I was also inspired reading this Substack post from a writer who hosted dinner guests every week last year. Wow. While that frequency is not possible for our family in this season — what with kids’ activities, travel, and so on — it’s an impressive achievement.
If you’re still looking for a resolution this year, what about hosting more often? I suspect few resolutions will bring you as much happiness and friendship.
What if hosting is scary?
Let’s pause to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Hospitality can be intimidating. It takes planning and effort — not to mention vulnerability as you let people into your space.
Whenever I feel nervous about hosting, I remind myself: “People are just happy to be invited.” They’re not going to be scrutinizing the baseboards to judge how clean they are, you know?
Parents often lament the lack of “a village,” but hosting guests regularly is a pretty much guaranteed way to build the village we all crave. It’s a fast track to building community and strengthening friendships.
Every time I’m preparing for guests, I feel nervous. But I remind myself that I want to be part of a community where friends get together frequently, where messy hospitality is alive and well.
I ask myself, “If I don’t have people over, who will?”
I know this year will feature some imperfect moments as we host lots of friends in our home. I know it will take work and courage to practice hospitality anywhere similar to the way St. Benedict did.
But I also know this: No matter how much effort it takes, I’ve never regretted opening up my home and heart to guests.
If you want to do something like this, don’t think you need to have a bunch of people over for an elaborate dinner party. Maybe you do a casual potluck with paper plates. Maybe you’ll have friends over just for dessert or drinks, or plan a meet-up at a local park or library instead of at your home.
Hospitality can take many forms. We can be creative.
Let’s aim for radical hospitality like St. Benedict's this year, knowing we are doing our part to build the kind of community — the kind of world — we want to live in.
