Hospitality is Inefficient [plus a recipe for a Bourbon Cider Cocktail with Cinnamon + Ginger]
In a recent newsletter, author, writing teacher, and podcaster Jonathan Rogers talked about the inefficiency of hospitality. He went on to discuss more about how to be hospitable to our own creative ideas, a practice I’m woefully bad at. (Read his newsletter here for more on that.) But his words about the broader topic of hospitality have really stuck with me.
I really like efficiency. But, as Rogers wrote:
Genuine hospitality is alway inefficient. Inefficiency is one of the main ways you show guests that they’re welcome. You don’t get them in and out as quickly as possible…You go to more trouble than you have to. You ask your guests questions; you listen more than you talk. And if things go well, your guests begin to talk to one another, and you learn things you didn’t know to ask.
Efficiency has its place. I like to make sure the dishwasher is empty before I have guests over. If I’m hosting a big holiday dinner, I take out all my servingware the night before to ensure I have what I need and I know where each dish will go. I write lists and keep track of what needs to get put in the oven and when it needs to start baking.
There are plenty of ways we can try to make hospitality more efficient. But at the end of the day, efficiency is not the goal; welcome is. And making people feel welcome sometimes–maybe even always–takes more time, more intention, more inefficiency than some of us (me!) feel comfortable with.
Our attempts to be efficient must serve the greater goal of making others feel welcome. If we get that backwards, we’ve missed the point of hospitality altogether.
So this holiday season, if you’re hosting a big gathering, sharing cookies with neighbors, or trying to practice hospitality with your own kids, remember that it’s okay if so much of it feels inefficient. It’s okay if conversations take longer or you have to drive out of your way to pick up that one item or there’s more cleaning up to do than you thought.
Efficiency can be helpful and necessary. But welcome matters more.
Cheers to making our family, friends, and communities feel welcome this Christmas season, just as God has welcomed us.
Bourbon Cider Cocktail with Cinnamon + Ginger
Yields 1 drink*
2 ounces fresh apple cider
1 ½ - 2 ounces bourbon (depending on how strong you like it)
½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce Cinnamon-Ginger Simple Syrup (recipe below)
A large handful of Ice
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick or slice of lemon. Enjoy!
Cinnamon-Ginger Simple Syrup
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
1 Tablespoon roughly chopped fresh ginger
½ cinnamon stick
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool completely.
Once it has cooled, strain out the ginger and cinnamon stick. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Leftover syrup should last in the refridgerator for at least a few weeks.
*I have also made this for a crowd. Just keep the ingredient ratio the same and add everything to a large pitcher filled with ice. While I prefer to shake the cocktail and strain out the ice, simply serving it in a pitcher with the ice works great, too.
