In her book “I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet” @sniequist writes about how hospitality changed during the pandemic. People went from inviting friends into their homes to meeting outdoors. From “take a seat on my comfy couch” to “here’s a lawn chair.”

There’s a line in the book I love and have thought about often:

“Let’s all agree not to go back to that old way where the house has to be perfect and the food has to be perfect…because it never was about the food. It never was about the dishes or the fancy kitchen tools or the complicated techniques. We just wanted to connect.”

I hope that line encourages you as we enter the holiday season. Social media can allow you to believe you need a gorgeous mantle or garland hung around the front door to have an acceptable space to invite people into. Those things are lovely, but they are far from essential.

What people need, what you and I desperately need, is connection.

If you find yourself setting the table and cursing your dingy centerpiece or stained carpet…wishing for a larger kitchen or a house with a view, remember:

Someone looking into your eyes, asking about what’s new in your life, about your kids or your job or your dog, asking how you really are…this, this has power beyond any beautiful tablescape or turkey.

What people need, what you and I desperately need, isn’t perfection, it’s connection.