It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll host people in your accommodation during your time at St Andrews. Living in a small town of interconnected students, hosting is a rite of passage, which makes knowing how to do it the “right way” all the more important.
Theme
Themes are not essential but make any gathering more festive. It’s like when you were a kid and every birthday party had a theme – race cars or horses or Barbies.
They give you a reason to romanticize the gathering. And, since it’s autumn, picking out a theme is easy. You could host a scary Halloween night or fall harvest dinner, a seasonal craft night or even head to Cairnie Fruit Farm in Cupar to pick out pumpkins and host a carving party.
Centering the gathering around a topic gives the event more structure. Depending on the theme, you could give guests general guidance on how to dress as well – whether that means sporting Halloween costumes or dressing more casual in cosy, knit sweaters and boots.
Credit: Pumpkin Picking, Cairnie Farm.
Activities
Once your theme is established, you can start planning the heart of the event: the activities. Why are you inviting people over? If it’s pumpkin carving or to watch a scary movie, the activity is already set. But if you have a more general theme – Halloween night, hosting a dinner, etc. – it’s best to plan out a few activities your guests can do together. Keep in mind who your guests are; is it a group of close-knit friends, or a scatter of people who don’t know each other that well? This will help determine the agenda for the night.
If you’re hosting in a small space, like your uni accommodation, simplicity is always best. Card and board games are an easy go-to; they help break the ice and most people enjoy them. Virtual games can also be fun, like Kahoot or Jackbox, where players connect their phones to a server and play off of a TV or computer.
If you want to go an extra step, consider getting creative with activities that match your theme.
For a Halloween night, put together a murder mystery where guests try to determine “who did it.” For a November gathering, print out inspirational photos from Pinterest and online magazines that guests can use to create vision boards and collages of the people, places, and things they’re grateful for.
Whatever the activity, just make sure it’s one where everyone can be included!
Food
Arguably the best part of any event is the food – or at least you hope it will be. But as a uni student, hosting on a budget can be difficult. One way to mitigate this is by assigning food and/or drink items to each guest, creating a potluck where everyone brings something.
If you’re hosting a meal, it’s typically expected for the host to provide the main dish(es) and for guests to pitch in on sides and desserts. But if offering a full meal feels like too much pressure, especially when having to cook in uni accommodation, having snacks is an easier alternative. For this, make sure your gathering isn’t right at mealtime, and tell your guests you’ll provide light snacks so that they know to eat beforehand.
Grocery stores like Morrisons and Sainsbury’s have freshly baked goods that are easy to stop in and pick up, and Morrisons even has fall-themed cookies and tarts for a few pounds. Just remember to ask your guests if they have any allergies, intolerances, or food preferences beforehand.
Credit: Autumn in St Andrews Fife, St Andrews Photo Diary, 'Let's Talk Beauty'.
Environment
The final step is creating a welcoming environment. Beyond general cleaning up and making sure everything is tidy, you can go an extra step to make your place cosy, especially as we transition to the cooler seasons of autumn and winter. It’s worth considering what small decorations you can add to enhance your theme.
The Salvation Army, off Church Street, has their fall stock on display. It is an affordable, environmentally friendly way to spruce up your space. Consider lighting candles (provided that your accommodation allows it), hanging string lights, or creating a playlist that will set the tone for the event.
Also think ahead about seating options – whether this means bringing out extra blankets for people to sit on or pulling your desk chair into the living room, make sure everyone has been thought of ahead of time.
Hosting can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! Just keep in mind that it isn’t about having the perfect meal or most beautiful decor, it’s about spending quality time with your friends. So, if everything doesn’t go to plan, don’t worry. As we transition into cooler months and the season of gathering, happy hosting!
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