This is something I wrote, long before I had a blog. I posted it on the organizing forum I used to be on and had saved it. I re-read it, today, and thought it would be a fun post to share on my blog, too.
I have been starting to feel a bit tired, lately, and I thought I was taking a long time to recover from the bout of bronchitis I had at Christmas.
But then, yesterday, I realized that I was actually feeling the effects of ENTERTAINITIS! Developed from hosting 5 rather big events at my house in the past 6 months - in October, November, December, February, and March - religious ceremonies, family gatherings and parties!
So, I did a bit of research and found out the symptoms, causes, and possible cures.
Symptoms: The classic symptoms of Entertainitis is a general feeling of tiredness and a pervasive lack of energy. One is unable to do more than sit in a chair and gaze at the stack of platters yet to be washed and put away and the mountain of leftover food to be dealt with and the load of table cloths to be laundered, not to mention the furniture to be put back in place, carpets to be vacuumed, crumbs to be swept, and spills to be mopped. It is often accompanied by a feeling of satisfaction, too, and a silly smile as one recalls how much the guests enjoyed the occasion and appreciated the company and the food, etc.
Causes: It's passed along when one gets bitten by the Entertainment Bug! While anyone might catch Entertainitis, there is a strong possibility that it may be inherited, too, passed along from mother to daughter, more often than not, along with family recipes, grandmother's good china and table linen. If you are a woman and your mother entertained a lot, and in a certain manner, then, you are more at risk for developing Entertainitis, with severity increasing with how extensively your mother entertained, how well she trained you, and how much you felt the need to emulate her. Plus, there's every possibility that you might pass it along to your daughter, too, since it seems to be quite contagious.
Cures: At this time, more research needs to be done into finding a possible cure. Currently, the only treatment available for Entertainitis is scaling back on the amount and frequency of the entertaining one does. Rather than luncheons for 60 guests, host more intimate dinners for 6, perhaps. Or, instead of big gatherings every month, have smaller get togethers spaced 3-4 months apart with plenty of rest time in between. Instead of you cooking the whole meal, have it catered or make it a pot-luck. Substituting paper plates and plastic cups, etc. for china plates and glass tumblers are good labor and energy saving treatments, too, I've found. Another possible treatment might be setting the bar low when starting out - somehow, guests start expecting a certain standard from you and it's hard to come down after that! Old aunties, especially, will notice and comment, in the nicest way possible, of course: "Oh, you didn't make your usual (insert the name of some labor-intensive/multi-step dish here); I was looking forward to it." Sometimes, however, they will be more direct: "Your mother wouldn't have approved."
In the meantime, I am faced with a 6 month period in which I don't have any function to host (April to September) and searching for an excuse to entertain again! Maybe a barbecue in the summer for a few friends - oh, maybe 30 or 40 of the closest. Let's see, the 4th of July is on a weekend, this year, isn't it? How hard would it be to grill some hot dogs and slice some watermelon?
But then, yesterday, I realized that I was actually feeling the effects of ENTERTAINITIS! Developed from hosting 5 rather big events at my house in the past 6 months - in October, November, December, February, and March - religious ceremonies, family gatherings and parties!
So, I did a bit of research and found out the symptoms, causes, and possible cures.
Symptoms: The classic symptoms of Entertainitis is a general feeling of tiredness and a pervasive lack of energy. One is unable to do more than sit in a chair and gaze at the stack of platters yet to be washed and put away and the mountain of leftover food to be dealt with and the load of table cloths to be laundered, not to mention the furniture to be put back in place, carpets to be vacuumed, crumbs to be swept, and spills to be mopped. It is often accompanied by a feeling of satisfaction, too, and a silly smile as one recalls how much the guests enjoyed the occasion and appreciated the company and the food, etc.
Causes: It's passed along when one gets bitten by the Entertainment Bug! While anyone might catch Entertainitis, there is a strong possibility that it may be inherited, too, passed along from mother to daughter, more often than not, along with family recipes, grandmother's good china and table linen. If you are a woman and your mother entertained a lot, and in a certain manner, then, you are more at risk for developing Entertainitis, with severity increasing with how extensively your mother entertained, how well she trained you, and how much you felt the need to emulate her. Plus, there's every possibility that you might pass it along to your daughter, too, since it seems to be quite contagious.
Cures: At this time, more research needs to be done into finding a possible cure. Currently, the only treatment available for Entertainitis is scaling back on the amount and frequency of the entertaining one does. Rather than luncheons for 60 guests, host more intimate dinners for 6, perhaps. Or, instead of big gatherings every month, have smaller get togethers spaced 3-4 months apart with plenty of rest time in between. Instead of you cooking the whole meal, have it catered or make it a pot-luck. Substituting paper plates and plastic cups, etc. for china plates and glass tumblers are good labor and energy saving treatments, too, I've found. Another possible treatment might be setting the bar low when starting out - somehow, guests start expecting a certain standard from you and it's hard to come down after that! Old aunties, especially, will notice and comment, in the nicest way possible, of course: "Oh, you didn't make your usual (insert the name of some labor-intensive/multi-step dish here); I was looking forward to it." Sometimes, however, they will be more direct: "Your mother wouldn't have approved."
In the meantime, I am faced with a 6 month period in which I don't have any function to host (April to September) and searching for an excuse to entertain again! Maybe a barbecue in the summer for a few friends - oh, maybe 30 or 40 of the closest. Let's see, the 4th of July is on a weekend, this year, isn't it? How hard would it be to grill some hot dogs and slice some watermelon?
***********************************************************************************
Oh, those were the days! Back then, I hosted the rosary prayer gathering in October, had a small gathering for my birthday in November, held the annual almsgiving in December, followed by another almsgiving on my mother's death anniversary in February, and celebrated my daughter's birthday in March with a big party. Sometimes, there would be a graduation party for her in June or July, as well, when she graduated from high school and university. These days, I don't have the energy to do half of it!
Hope you enjoyed reading it.
Sigh, it feels like the days of entertaining are long gone. I hope those times will come back. My mother was strictly a very formal entertainer. I learned at an early age to be the opposite because as a kid I got stuck with dishes and clean up after her endeavors. I decided then and there that I wouldn't do that to my kids. We still love to entertain but it's always very casual - food cooked in disposable pans and served buffet style with disposable plates. My mother is gone now but she definitely did not approve! We have to do what works for us no matter what is expected.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I entertained was in February, when I hosted that month's prayer gathering. I also normally host the October prayer gathering, too, but, not this year.
DeleteI actually like to entertain, but that is out the window right now. I also like to stack parties and only polish the silver once for all of them!
ReplyDeleteBack to back parties! :D Well, I won't be entertaining in the near future, myself. Maybe we can amuse ourselves planning the menus, etc., for any future gatherings we might have! :)
DeleteENTERTAINITIS - this gave me quite a chuckle this morning. I imagine all your entertaining is how you sowed the bed of kindness & you now reap those rewards.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it made you chuckle, Mary-Lou. :) Thank you; you are very kind. :)
DeleteI like entertaining but often suffer the curse of entertainitis afterwards. Love your formal explanation of the ailment!
ReplyDeleteYes, the preparations and the aftermath are what gets to me! I don't mind the cooking as much as the cleaning before and after! Glad you enjoyed the post, Eloise. :)
DeleteGood writing - you had some big parties back in the day! It is a long time since we have hosted a lsrge gathering, and I don't think I would be up to it now. Also, I prefer smaller numbers.
ReplyDeleteI had my date with the dental hygienist this morning and of course she couldn't use the usual supersonic cleaners and had to scrape away with her tools. It was more work for her I think. I wondered how the dentists were managing - were they using hand drills - yikes! I was remembering the slow grinding of the old drills when I was younger. They weren't hand drills but they were slow enough that they didn't need cooling with water when in action, like the modern ones!
Thank you, Bushlady. Yes, I used to hold some large gatherings. :) Preparing a full Thanksgiving dinner, with all the trimmings, for 50 people? No problem! I still have about 45 of the glass plates that were bought for the occasion (because my mother didn't want to use paper plates). Just thinking about it makes me feel tired! :D
DeleteOh, my! You deserve a medal for putting up with that teeth cleaning! Ha, ha, my step-father (a dental surgeon) used to have a foot operated drill for the longest time, back in Sri Lanka, until he bought an electric high-speed drill. One felt the drilling in every bone in ones body!
Oh, Bless, I hear you! I used to have large gatherings on the holidays and birthday parties for my children and their friends. In the summer we would always have deck parties because we had a huge deck. Since remarrying and getting older I rarely entertain for over 4 guests even though we have a much larger house. I just don't have the energy. Great post!💖
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. I guess none of us have the energy we used to have when we were younger. :)
DeleteFor years now we've always done 'bring and share' meals so every couple is only responsible for providing one dish. Everybody brings too much, there is always plenty of leftovers which are shared out and the men do the washing up!
ReplyDelete"Bring and share" or potlucks as they are called here, is the way to go. Within my own family, however, there was a lot of cultural based resistance to the idea, especially from the older generation, unless it was an almsgiving. We are slowly acknowledging that bringing a dish to be shared makes it easier for the hostess. :)
DeleteThat was a fun post. My mother wasn't a big entertainer probably because her mother wasn't either--that was because they were more worried about where they would live and whether or not they would have something to eat. They have passed the lack of entertaining gene down to me. However, I have made an effort to do more hosting in the last few years by making things casual and trying not to worry about having everything just right. And I will say that it has been a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it. I recall you having a couple of large gatherings with coworkers. I agree with you that casual entertaining is the best. :)
DeleteOh my! I'm exhausted just reading this.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's going to feel quite strange having guests round again, once life eventually returns to normal. I enjoy hosting, although it's usually only very small gatherings. X
Yes, having guests over, again, is going to feel very strange. I honestly don't see myself doing any entertaining until, perhaps, next October!
DeleteThis was a fun post - very clever lol
ReplyDeleteAnd a bit bittersweet given our times.
Hopefully soon we will all have a bit of entertainitis
Thank you, Debra. :) I suppose we will ease into entertaining, again, although I don't see myself doing anything for at least another year!
Delete