"As the day shorten and calendar pages are turned, thoughts of holiday celebrations begin to emerge," Pat Ennis says. "Amidst the planning I would like to pose a question: who will comprise your holiday guest list this year?"

I know exactly what Pat means. I remember the years we opened our home to college students and singles who didn't have a place to celebrate for Christmas. Have you ever had that joy? Pat has a knack for hospitality, and her thoughts on this topic can stretch our thinking and help us upgrade the way we bless others in our homes.

Pat continues ...

Before you create your guest list, consider these thoughts:

1. Holidays can be painful times for those without extended family in the immediate area.

It was October of my eighteenth year of life when my Dad stepped into eternity. As a college freshman I not only had to deal with my own grief, I also was faced with the responsibility of helping my mother adjust to a new lifestyle.

When Dad died, Mom not only lost her husband of thirty years, she also lost her circle of friends. Suddenly the married couples—my Dad was the first of their group to die—didn’t know what to do about Mother. So they did nothing. Her grieving process extended because of their withdrawal, even though she and Dad had enjoyed their fellowship for years. 

Our plight was magnified by the reality that we did not have extended family and I was an only child.  Frankly, the outlook for the holiday season appeared pretty dismal!

2. Consider expanding your "hospitality borders."

As the holidays approached, our neighbors, who embraced a different faith than my family, graciously invited us to share their Thanksgiving celebration with them. The sincere invitation, their effort to fold us into their family, and intentional conversation that focused on recounting the blessings of the year as well as looking forward to the next year turned a potentially miserable day into one of joy.

The focus on the Lord’s provision for us through the hospitality of our neighbors (Philippians 4:8-9, 19) soothed our grieving spirits.

3. Extending hospitality may stimulate others to follow your example.

There's a happy ending to my Mother’s loss of her circle of friends. A gracious southern hostess, she did not cease to extend hospitality because of the change in her marital status. In the five years she lived beyond Dad’s death, we frequently extended biblical hospitality.

Eventually our guest list included widows from the group that had earlier excluded my Mother. 

Though her arthritic condition precluded her engaging in much of the food preparation, she continued to help me hone the skills that were second nature to her. 

4. Stimulate your creativity during the holidays.

The loving hospitality extended to us on that first lonely Thanksgiving served as a catalyst for Mom and me to open our home throughout the year—especially during the holiday season!

Consider displaying biblical compassion by including some of the “others”—singles, widows and the grieving in your holiday celebrations. Who, knows, you might be entertaining an angel incognito (Hebrews 13:2)!

Here are some ideas to assist in your planning:

• Collect and file simple, inexpensive recipes for desserts and meals.
• Make a list of people who would be encouraged by your offer of hospitality, and purpose to invite your first guests soon!
• Start simple. Spontaneously inviting someone home after Sunday evening church is a great beginning.
• Pray that our loving heavenly Father will give you joy in demonstrating hospitality to others.
• Remember that memories require time and energy to create.
• Purpose to nurture a heart for biblical hospitality that sincerely communicates "come back soon."

Who is on your holiday guest list? Are you willing to expand that list this year?

Pat Ennis is a distinguished professor of Homemaking and Director of Homemaking Programs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Pat is a speaker and author.  Her most recent release is The Christian Homemaker’s Handbook with Dorothy Patterson (Crossway, March 2013).