Entertaining Made Easy Part 1

Entertaining Made Easy.

by Emily Rose Burt.

_INTRODUCTION_

It is fun to entertain--if you don't make hard work of it.

And why make hard work of it when there are ways to entertain easily?

Besides you know that the more easily you do it, the more successful you'll be, and there's hardly a woman in the world--is there?--who wouldn't like to be known as a good hostess.

"But," says one of you, "I haven't the knack."

And another says, "I haven't the time or money."

And yet another, "Oh, I never have any ideas."

Nonsense!

It's not a question of knack or money or ideas. All you need is to know the secret, and it's an open secret at that!

First, ask yourself what you mean by a successful hostess. Your answer will be, "One whose guests have so good a time that they want to come again."

Sure enough! The secret is out then--entertaining successfully is giving the guests a good time.

"More easily said than done," you say. "What must I _do_ to give the guests a good time?"

And the answer to that is in a nutsh.e.l.l. "Make your entertainment fit the folks to be entertained."

You wouldn't, for instance, think of inviting your grandmother's friends in of an afternoon in honor of the old lady's birthday and playing stagecoach or blindman's buff.

And if you have your Sunday School cla.s.s of lively boys in for the evening, you won't expect them to play paper and pencil games from eight to ten.

It's really just a matter of common sense coupled with some imagination and forethought to choose the right kind of entertainment.

Along with choosing the right variety of amus.e.m.e.nt, remember that folks generally like the simple things best and if there's a touch of originality in addition, you've won their hearts. For you see you've made them feel that you took the trouble to plan something "different"

in their honor.

Because it's different, it isn't necessarily hard to prepare--there are lots of novelties in decoration, amus.e.m.e.nt and "eats" that are perfectly simple and inexpensive. They are what help to make entertaining easy, in fact. And just at this point you see comes in the reason for the writing of this little book.

It aims to make entertaining easy by suggesting plans that are simple and a little out-of-the-ordinary to fit the most frequent occasions when you wish to entertain or perhaps _must_ do so. Special care has been taken to consider time and expense, but at the same time to bring in a touch of the unusual.

Don't miss the fun of entertaining because you've always thought it hard work! This book has been prepared to show you how easily, after all, it can be done. And may you have the reward of joy and satisfaction that comes with successful hospitality!

SOCIALS AND PARTIES

Perhaps you're appointed chairman of the social committee of your young people's church society of or some club. Or maybe you want to entertain for a friend who is visiting you so that she may meet your circle of friends. Anyway it's up to you to plan an evening's amus.e.m.e.nt for a big crowd of people. If it's a mixed crowd--young and old and in-between (as church socials often are)--you need one kind of plan; if it's a bunch of young folks, or a school cla.s.s party, or something for the children, you need other plans.

But the secret of all good times for big crowds is to choose entertainment that draws the individuals together in some kind of comrades.h.i.+p, gives them all something in common, and puts them on a friendly footing.

A SMILES SOCIAL

On the door of the parish house as well as in the post-office window appeared a poster adorned with a big smiling face--the kind made by drawing a circle and putting inside of it two eye dots, a nose line, and a cheerful curve for a mouth.

Beneath it the invitation urged everybody to come to a Smiles Social, wearing a smile and bringing an extra one in the pocket. Admission, one smile.

The parish house parlors were decorated with all the laughing or smiling pictures that could be found by the committee in charge. "Mona Lisa" was there with her inscrutable smile, "The Laughing Cavalier,"

as well as less famous characters, such as smiling girls on calendars and magazine covers. An amusing display of newspaper cartoons also filled one portion of the wall s.p.a.ce. Smilax was appropriately enough used for tr.i.m.m.i.n.g.

At the door was stationed a smiling admission collector, who insisted on an entering smile from everyone. The extra one was not demanded at this point.

With such a beginning and the gallery of smiles about the room to break the ice, the social was a.s.sured of the success that followed.

The first stunt tried was called "Throwing Smiles," not a new amus.e.m.e.nt but always a fun-maker.

One person starts the game by smiling broadly and then pretending to wipe off the smile and throw it to somebody else. As soon as it lands on the next person's face, that person must in turn wipe it off and fling it at a third player. As soon as a smile is supposedly wiped off, the owner of it must maintain a perfectly sober expression.

The company was in screams of laughter before this game had gone very far.

Another amusing game for a large number which goes under various names was called on this occasion "The Smile Factory." The company is divided into two groups which line up opposite each other. Someone is appointed to stand between the two lines with a man's soft hat in hand. If upon being tossed in the air, the hat lands right side up, one group has to laugh while the opposite one remains absolutely sober. When the hat lands upside down, the first group remains solemn and the other group laughs. A member of either side who fails to follow this rule goes over to the opposite side. The side which wins all the members of the other side is announced victorious.

The old-fas.h.i.+oned game of "Poor p.u.s.s.y" was also played because the point of it is trying not to smile. The younger folk will enjoy it.

You may remember that a ring is formed and the person within the ring who is "it," kneels before someone in the circle and mews or purrs appealingly three times successively. Each time the person confronted must answer sternly or calmly "Poor p.u.s.s.y," never smiling. In case of a smile or a laugh, this person takes the place of "Poor p.u.s.s.y."

Midway of the evening the extra smiles brought to the social were asked for. Jokes and funny rhymes or sayings were read in turn. If various persons dislike the publicity of such a procedure, all the "smiles" may be collected and presented by two or three clever persons in the form of a minstrel show. This can be called "Smiles in Black and White."

The popular song "Smiles" was in order as well as the older favorite,"

Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile."

The following conundrum was also propounded: What is the longest word in the English language? The answer is "Smiles" because there's a mile between the first and last syllables.

Humorous recitations and others relating to smiles were given by some good readers.

Just before the refreshments came a smile-measuring contest. All stood in line and grinned broadly while a girl with a tape measure took account of each one in turn. The winner received as a prize a grinning little china darky.

The refreshments were enough to make everyone smile--they consisted of pink lemonade and ginger cookies with features marked on them in white icing. The most conspicuous feature was of course the grin.