5 Fun & Easy Ways to Enjoy Summer Parties Even When You’re Not A Social Butterfly
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Looking forward to all the summer social gatherings and want a fun and refreshing drink to go along with them? You’re all set with these 5 tricks to be a great attendee (or host) without the stress.
It’s no secret for anyone who knows me that I’m not the most active social butterfly. I never have been and never will be. I’m not painfully boring, but I am not packing my social calendar every weekend. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy occasional social festivities.
I’m also married to a man who loves to attend and host as many parties as he can find reason to plan. If it were up to him, we’d become The Social House (and I don’t mind hosting parties), so we appear to be headed in that direction.
As the host of parties, we receive lots of bottles of wine (as you might expect). I enjoy an occasional glass of wine or a fun drink, but M and I aren’t cracking open a bottle with dinner every night.
What to do with all that wine for very casual wine drinkers? We’re getting there.
No Stress Over Fun with Friends
Hosting parties should be fun. I’m not a fan of layering on stress about things that shouldn’t be stressful. So when it comes to hosting and attending parties, I’m not all that interested in making it more work than it needs to be.
Instead, like many people who aren’t always the social coordinator, I’ve stored a few techniques in my back pocket to help me engage at parties without having to carry and maintain energetic conversations the entire night.
Hint #1: Hosting the party is a great excuse to lay low behind the scenes without looking boring.
Whether you’re hosting the party or just attending, there are plenty of ways to be social and participate in the festivities without stepping out of your introverted selves. Try out a trick or two on this list that will keep you socializing this summer in a way that’s comfortable for you.
5 Fun & Easy Ways to Enjoy Summer Parties Even When You’re Not A Social Butterfly
Help With Preparation ~ It’s likely the host needs help with final touches. Offer to join him or her in the kitchen for last minute food preparation or table setting.
Grab a Drink ~ Consider making yourself a wine spritzer. Mix a bit of wine with sparkling water and some fresh fruit and you have a beautiful, summery drink that will draw plenty of envy without really drinking all that much.
This is a favorite trick of mine to look like I’m a fancy party-goer when, in reality, I’m not that cool. If you’re feeling really motivated, offer to bring all the ingredients. The host will appreciate the extra support, and you’ll earn bonus points for bringing a gorgeous drink for everyone to try.
Do the Dishes ~ The host will rave about you for days (trust me, I’ve been there). After doing all the preparation for a big event, clean up is about the last thing anyone wants to tackle. Any clean up that you finish before the night is over will make the host’s night (and next day) so much easier.
Depending on the type and size of the party, this may not always make sense. It can definitely work, however, at smaller house parties where lots of people hang out around the kitchen anyway.
Be a Good Listener ~ You may not feel like you have much to contribute to a conversation full of “Chatty Cathys.” Find the attendees who love to chit-chat, hang out in their conversation circles, laugh, smile and listen intently, and you’ll be right in the mix without having to generate or maintain a whole lot of conversation.
Bring an Activity to Share ~ Maybe you like horseshoes, cornhole (also known as “bags” in some parts of the country) or boche ball. Giant Jenga anyone? Bring your favorite lawn game to a summer gathering and everyone will commend your idea for a fun activity that didn’t take a whole lot of planning or social energy. If you play, it also offers an alternative to engagement without a heavy focus on conversation alone.
That Fun & Refreshing Drink Perfect For Any Summer Occasion
As I mentioned earlier, we receive many bottles of wine as host gifts when we have parties at our place. Outside of social events though, M and I don’t drink regularly on our own. So what to do with all that wine for non-wine connoisseurs? There are plenty of fun drink alternatives. Sangria, for example, is a really great option.
Recently, a friend made me a strawberry and white wine spritzer comprised of sparking water, a bit of Clos du Bois Chardonnay, and plenty of fresh cut strawberries.
The drink includes just a bit of wine. If you use too much wine, the wine and sparkling water flavors don’t mix properly. Avoid that mistake I made early on in my recipe adventure.
Fun and pretty, this wine spritzer let’s me participate in the social activity, drink in hand, without calling to attention to the fact that I’m not consuming all that much alcohol.
Many of my friends love getting together to share a bottle (or two) of something like Clos du Bois Chardonnay or Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon. Clos du Bois has lots of great options for perfect summery drinks for a variety of occasions, and they recently refreshed their packaging design just in time for summer.
For those of us more introverted attendees (or hosts, as the case may be), the five tricks mentioned above keep us right in the middle of the action while alleviating the stress of attending large social gatherings.
If you’re in this crowd with me, be sure to come back to this list before you hit up your next party. Stop by your local grocery store for the three simple ingredients for this wine spritzer (Clos Du Bois Chardonnay, sparkling water, and strawberries) and arrive with enough for everyone to try their own. You’ll be the talk of the party without all the stress.
If you have more ideas about light, refreshing summer drinks inspired by a bit of wine, I’d love to hear them. I’m always up for new ideas!
