Why do some people never reciprocate hospitality?

[FrancinePefco]

For more than 10 years now, we host drinks for neighbours and local friends during the Christmas holidays. We also regularly have a summer drinks/bbq. Quite a few of our guests have therefore enjoyed our hospitality (including food and lots of drink) at least once or twice a year for a decade or so but they have have never once invited us to anything - not even for a "Come in. Would you like a cuppa?" when we have had to e.g. drop children off at their houses.

I don't think it can be BO or bad breath because they obviously don't mind being around us (as long as it's at our house). In fact, this year we decided not to Christmas drinks and apparently several people were asking around if they had missed an invite.

I wouldn't feel comfortable just asking "Hey, how come you never invite us round to yours?". So I thought I would check with strangers on the Internet first

[WashingUpWarrior]

If you enjoy entertaining and having people over then kudos to you. But you can't expect other people to enjoy the same things. If you only want people to come over if they are going to reciprocate, then tell them clearly that this is a condition so if they do not want to invite you over they can decide to not come. Don't force your desires and expectations onto your guests.

DH and I don't like 'entertaining' and having guests that are not close loved ones. We very much cherish our privacy. If people invite me I'll come sometimes either because I do like going there or because it's impolite to refuse. DH similar, but he refuses invitations more often than I do. We (read:I) very very occassionally invite people over. I always do this because I feel obliged, and not because I really want them to visit me. We do have a tidy, clean, spacious and cosy home, and when we have guests I provide snacks and drinks and try to behave like a good hostess, but the reality is that I'm too socially awkward to pull it off, and DH is worse. ;-)