Fall always makes me want to have people over.
Maybe it's the early sunsets, or the first night you need a sweater, or the fact that staying in has suddenly started sounding better than going out. Whatever it is, this is the season for putting something warm on the stove, opening a bottle of something good, lighting the candle you've been saving, and asking the people you love to come sit at the table for a while.
But, if I’m being honest, the past few years I really haven’t. And we might need it more than we used to. I read a stat recently that stopped me in my tracks: in the last twenty years, Americans have cut the time we spend hosting or going to a get-together in half.* Half?! That's not one big thing that went missing. It's a little bit of every single day — the dinner that turned into a text, the birthday that turned into a Venmo, the "let's do drinks" that never got a date. I'm a stepparent now, and I see it in my own house. When I was a teenager, being stuck at home with my parents on a weekend was the worst thing imaginable. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore, and I don't think it's because we're cooler than our folks were (even though I wish it were!). So I've been thinking about the example we're setting. Are we hanging out with our own friends enough that they can see how much it matters? Lately, for me, it's a big fat no.
We're all busy, we're all tired, and "we should get together soon" has become one of those things we say the way we say "bless you" — automatically, and then six months go by. I'm going to change that this fall, and I thought I'd ask whether you want to as well.
Nothing fancy required. Dinner can be takeout (mine probably will be). The house doesn't have to be even remotely clean. The glasses don't have to match. Just invite some people you like over, and I'll be doing the same.
When I do, the table's getting our Fall Guy bouquet — big, a little wild, and full of every autumn color I love: rust, plum, caramel, soft pink, berries, and plenty of greens. It's the kind of arrangement that makes a room feel instantly more fall without anyone having to try that hard.
In case it helps, here's my go-to:
