Make Yourselves at Home

I mainly bought this house to be better at being alone.  It's worked, but so far most of the best memories I've made are from having people over.  It'd been over ten years since I've invited somebody to my home, not since college where nobody cares if your place is trashy.  Sure, a few people came over, but they always invited themselves and I just didn't stop them.

Now I can do, and I hope I'm pronouncing this correctly, "dinner parties".

I had a small Christmas dinner last weekend.  After one group of guests arrived -- a married couple and their son, my godson -- arrived I had to leave to pick somebody else up.  They're my oldest friends, good as family, so I told them to make themselves at home.  The house is probably better off in their hands anyway.

When I got back, it was dark and quiet.  The dad was working on his car in my garage.  Mother and son were taking a nap in the living room.  I was really glad they felt comfortable enough here to do that.  It was not a "successful dinner party" sign by the book, but it was one of the best moments I've had here.

I told them "make yourselves at home", which is a cliché, which I happened to mean literally.