To wish my house was the party house

[Omelettewithpeas]

Married, 50. Our friends house is the party house. There is always something going on/people round there/bbs/Halloween party etc. Its the social hub. We have very few friends in terms of joint friends (I would never mix my friends with his, that's a whole different thread!). We have a large house which is set up for entertaining but no one to invite round - well, not enough for a small gathering/bbq type anyways.

Just feel a bit sad. Sat in this large v quiet house. We have huge patio with sofas, hot tub, games room, bar.

Can I come. 😉

@Bramblecrumble22 YES !

I'm in!

What happens when you invite people over?

Invite your girlfriends over! They would love that

@Omelettewithpeas Your place sounds like it should be the party house! Also I'm sure you could throw a huge get together with all your MN friends 🥂

Oh but the prep and clearing up…. I love that my house is NOT the party house!

@Eyelashesoffire that's just it, we don't have many couples to invite over. My girlfriends come over sometimes, and me to theirs. DH rarely invites his mates over. Our individual groups of friends wouldn't mix well, they are v different

Can't you invite your girlfriends and their partners? I don't see why it has to be couples. Do you have any hobbies, my BIL has parties as he's the kids' football manager. Book club? Film night? Invite school mums over?

Or are you thinking of big parties, 15+ people?

I'd love to be invited to a big party house! I hate having people over in my private space so it's my worst nightmare!

Did you mean you wouldn't mix your friends and your DH's friends? I wasn't totally clear from your OP.

Can I come please? I'll bring the vodka and I promise I can sort a great playlist for all tastes.

You have to start small and build it. Once the friends you have get to know other friends and couples it grows - don’t be embarrassed to ask and make it fun. “If you build it they will come.”
Next year you’ll be on here posting ‘why is my house always the party house?’

Just invite people!

Just invite the same people that are going to your friends house to yours!

People aren’t just going to turn up, you have to invite them.

Your friends may mix better than you think, especially if it's just for a fun party. Give it a try.

My friend gets lumbered with everyone as her house is way bigger than mine (I like it this way!). Just invite people, your gf’s (your dh’s friends too - everyone will surely mix) or if you have kids,invite their friends & parents. People (me!) love going to others houses.

Mine is the party house. We invite everyone - friends, neighbours, random work colleagues who have moved near by, friends we haven't seen for ages, people we see dog walking and chat to but still only know by dogs name!!

It always works - key is ensure you have enough drink (alcohol and soft) and sufficient food - and make sure that food provided matches the timing of the party ie if it's come at 6pm then proper food. Otherwise people get too drunk. And a good play list with some good dancing tunes for when there are less of you left and it seems a good idea.

Invite and have fun!

How about inviting your neighbours? Like a street party at your house?
My parents were great at just picking people up. They'd go to an art fair, meet an artist, next thing you know the guy was staying over for a couple days. They were great at making people feel welcome, possibly because of their hard upbringing (not in a financial way, but situational).
You have to just make a list of people you know, and people you'd like to know better. Make it a big enough list so if some don't mesh there are others to chat to. Then get some food and booze, a good playlist and welcome smiles.

I used to think parties had to be huge affairs. Then a woman I really admired invited me to a 'party' to celebrate a very important event in her life. When I got there, it was about 8-10 people. And we had a gorgeous time.

Start inviting people over.

Start inviting all your favorite people over, the more time they spend together, their differences won’t matter as much. You will be the thing they have in common at first and then they will all bond. That’s how party houses are made.

This is it! Exactly what I was talking about. This is how you do it, op. Also, they have to be invested in your life and you in theirs. Those are the two keys.

Just try it! Invite all your friends. DH invites all his. Invite neighbours. See how it goes. If it doesn’t work, don’t do it again. At least you might get some stories to tell! If it works, brilliant!

Good ideas on this thread, also just invite over a few friends for a BBQ or to sit out on the patio with wine, they'll love it. Start out like that and build up. I'm not a party type so I'd love the big house with one or two guests!

Yanbu if that's your thing. Personally I can't think of anything worse although I do love my teenagers having their friends round.

start small - invite 3/4 of your girlfriends over for drinks and nibbles. dont' make a big deal of it - but start to normalise socialising in your house so that it feels less scary for you. have a playlist on, and some food and drinks that look effortless so that your friends have fun and they want to come back.

Then next time make it a bit bigger and/or serve a full meal