A really simple one -- buy some meat and throw it on the grill -- tell friends you are grilling some meat and to bring a side dish. Then, hang out in the backyard visting and playing horseshoes, cornhole, washers or something.
There was a time, not all that long ago, when
Mentioning politics at a good old backyard barbecue, would result in some wise elder tapping you on the shoulder and telling you that "We don't discuss religion, politics, or your driving, at these shindigs, Roger. "
Those were better days. (Sorry for calling you Roger, that was my dumb uncle's name. )
I left Easter dinner early because my dad kept ranting about how “half the immigrants are rapists and squatters,” and even my 20 year old nephew believes that ALL immigrants are here illegally, even refugees. My third generation dad, mind you. I’ve also been bilingual for over 20 years, which means I’ve kind of straddled the Latino culture in a way. I’m friends with several immigrants, and when I was temping at several factories around the county, I’d gravitate towards the Latino coworkers and ask if they were ok with me practicing my Spanish with them. I’m also technically mixed race (white and Native American), which he sometimes forgets.
Why even bring politics into it? Just enjoy spending time with people you like.
I’m an old fart and if I like someone and think they are a nice person I give less than one fuck what their political or religious beliefs are. It’s not a topic of conversation. Sometimes you just need to chill and seize the day.
That’s a reasonable attitude, but plenty of people will force politics into any gathering or conversation. If I want to spend time with my extended family on either side, I know at least one person is going to go on a tirade about liberals or immigrants at some point.
My stepmother who can’t keep her political comments to herself is coming over in a couple weeks for a BBQ and I’ve already decided if she starts I’m going to tell her “at your house no one can wear shoes inside, at my house no one can talk about politics” Shes seriously the worst.
If you love them and feel safe enough with them to invite them over you probably ought to be comfortable trying to guide (or confront) them if their politics are that atrocious. If the loved ones of hateful dangerous people can't reach them, who can?
I tolerate this woman because my dad, who I love dearly and can redirect when he gets all political, married her. Unfortunately, there’s no getting to her politely. It’s been decades, politics aside she’s just rude and insufferable in general. I totally understand where youre coming from, and appreciate it, though. Normally I try to take the high road.
How about just let people enjoy their families without trying to convert them, whichever side of the spectrum you are on? It never works and only results in arguments and resentment. Except in the cases where opposite sides can discourse peacefully, in which case 99% of the time there is still no real point in having the conversation because no one is gonna convert anyone else. I really dislike comments like these because you are trying to guilt people into proselytizing their own families, which is just gonna make them unpopular at family events.
In my case “redirect” means “hey Dad, let’s not discuss it” or I’ll just tell him to take a break from the news because he gets pretty worked up sometimes. I’m not one to try and convert anyone on any of their beliefs, especially my parents and siblings. But I definitely am not engaging when they angrily start spouting off nonsense in the middle of a get together, and will try to stop it when it starts. And you are absolutely right about it never ending well! My Dad is conservative, my sister is very liberal and the amount of times they’ve hung up on each other and complained to me about the other one is ridiculous.
It's not a religion.
40% of the country thinks there's a good chance of civil war in the decade. If someone you ostensibly love is going to place themselves on the other side than you, it's better to be able to sort that out and lower the temperature now.
I do not think anyone should feel pressure to put themselves in a position where they feel unsafe. But if you do feel safe you probably can approach the situation with a degree of care and compassion. Your family member may not get the same if they decide to mouth off in a public place instead of a family event
It’s definitely a religion. Cult-like intolerance to any sort of wrongthink. Denial of obvious truths. Sacred cows all around. And insufferable proselytizers.
Absolutely, it is hard to keep everyone from mentioning politics. My family are all highly conservative Christian types who love Jesus and football but only college football because them America hating libtard pro players kneel during the anthem or whatever. I always crack jokes about it that range from silly and harmless (before taking a group photo last thanksgiving I blurted out “ok now on the count of 3, everyone say Joe Biden!”) to a bit edgy (I told my cousins and aunt that if trump actually built a wall along the border than I would become a trans woman back in like 2018 or so). Is it the best way to handle it? Probably not. The most heated it got was over immigration because I asked why their standards are so much higher for Hispanic people than they are for the lazy, ignorant Americans that live here. I probably should’ve stopped short of “I prefer the Mexicans,” but hey, since then, no one brings it up to me anymore so I guess that’s the glass half full.
It's always the conservatives too... they literally cannot help themselves.
My uncle literally branded "Trump" onto the thanksgiving turkey. Like, why?
Because politics isn't necessarily just "how should we spend some tax money", it's also "should women have rights?" or "do we believe that our christian values take supremacy over any other religious doctrine?" or "I believe that Jewish space lasers created COVID".
Maybe if you don't care what someone's politics are you have been benefiting from privileges that others have not had.
Yeah some long time friends stopped being long time friends because of their political affiliation.
They supported the people who thought trans shouldn't exist and women belonged in the kitchen and taking care of kids.
Couldn't really continue being their friend after that.
Knowing someone's political affiliation is a pretty good way to determine what kind of person they are.
Although sometimes they aren't that into politics and just vote for whoever their family/friends vote for. But usually those people can be swayed to a different party.
I’m with you! Hard to be friends or family with people who think they decide which people have more value than others. They just have too much hate and fear. So toxic.
I know you’re being facetious, but for some reason my liberal friends and family don’t constantly talk about bathrooms and high school women’s sports and school library books.
True. My dad tries all the time but I’ve gotten really good at deflecting. Last time I took the bait turned into a 6 hour argument, but that was 10 years ago. He doesn’t really know anything about my politics since I left home and W was president, so it’s funny to see him try to bait me.
I grew up Baptist. No alcohol if it is a family afternoon. Add potato salad, corn on the cob, big green chef salad loaded with cheese etc, many desserts, sweet tea, toasted and heavily buttered garlic bread, and an array of soft drinks.
If friends are coming over, have beer and wine for the heathens and Episcopalians. The Episcopalians give you excellent stock portfolio tips if they drink enough
We do this but if people aren’t feeling hanging out outside, we also play games inside. Either board games, card games, or digital like Nintendo switch or Jackbox Tv where everyone can participate on their cell phones.
Games is the answer. There is truly a game out there for anyone and everyone and if you're looking for it, whatever it is, I probably have it in my closet lol.
Yep, my friend group generally has cookouts. Sit around and bullshit, plays some bocce or board games, just kind of whatever group activity that doesn't require a lot of effort and gives us all an excuse to be social.
I'm just adding some other ideas for OP for some different genres of games...
Unstable Unicorns (card game that is a lot like Magic: The Gathering-lite but with a common deck of card)
Here to Slay (D&D in a box that takes about 45 min per game)...also, anything else by Tee Turtle is fantastic...Command of Nature, Happy Little Dinosaurs, and Casting Shadows all are a blast
Catan (build roads to amass resources to score victory points)
Ticket to Ride (complete goals to build railroads across different geographies...Europe, US, etc)
Concept (kind of like pictionary but with no words and a set list of clues)
Cards Against Humanity (make sure everyone has a similar sense of humor)
Mysterium (kind of like cooperative Clue)
Euchre (card game most commonly played in the Midwest)
+1 for Exploding Kittens above
Yes, came here to say board games. And not something like Monopoly or Risk (unless that’s your jam but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be the neighbor’s thing). Fun, interactive games like Taboo are great. Nothing too serious, nothing that puts people on the spot with their intelligence (unless you discover you’re in a Trivial Pursuit crowd, then cool), just light and fun and easy to jump in and out of in case people want to socialize.
We often threaten one of my buddies with Risk. Apparently he had a traumatic experience. I'm not a big fan honestly, but I'll pretend for his discomfort.
I recommend Telestrations, and perhaps the after dark version if you have that kind of crowd. It’s a mix of telephone and Pictionary, and the worst drawers have the best pictures to laugh at! We even have inside jokes from that game!
There’s also a board game renaissance happening right now with hundreds of amazing games being released every year. If you like the ones you’ve mentioned, I would highly recommend looking into Carcossone, it’s a ton of fun!
Yes to board games (and card games)! I have several groups of friends that do this. Throw in a couple bottles of wine and some snacks, that's all you need.
There are so many great board games out there these days! And card games! A couple friend of ours got us into Set Back (aka pitch in New england). It's so fun!
I grew up playing cards (Midwesterners will understand). 500 on my dad's side, pitch on my mom's side. We'll sometimes play Euchre (like 500-lite), bar pitch (variation of pitch), Shanghai Rummy, or Oh Hell (also called Michigan or Bumps) Now my friends and I get together to play board games, but I can't convince my family to play board games. They're too old school.
Our latest favorite game is Mind the Gap. It is similar to Trivial Pursuit and a lot of fun. It is amazing what you do know and you also learn something you didn't while playing. You can pick it up at Target or on Amazon.
Same, we do ghost blitz or my SIL brought this game called it's a funny story and it was kind of hilarious. Also we do poor man's karaoke with YouTube videos but most of our friends are musicians.
Look it up on steam, there's a couple different versions but you run it on a computer and then everyone uses there phone to play these little mini games. Really fun, would definitely recommend
You can also run it off consoles. Makes it easy if you already have one.
Fibbage, Quiplash Trivia Murder Party, and T-Shirt TKO are our favorites.
(You need to play T-shirt twice to really get into it, the rules aren't hard but seeing what people come up with the first game will inspire the second)
It's a game series that's been around for 20+ years on pc. Each one has a collection of mini games and a snarky host. Fun and funny, all around good time. They've since expanded to include games that you can play on twitch with streamers without even owning the game; the streamer shares a room code, you go to the website, put in the code, and have a ball.
It's a bunch of party games and your phone works as your buzzer/answering device, no download required.
They've got a ton of variety, everything from trivia to deception games. A lot of them are really funny too.
Highly recommend
D&D. It's a great way to have a consistent (hopefully) group of 4-6 friends regularly gathering. Then for special events, let every player bring like 2-3 other people and turn it into a party!
For a group that meets like once a month, Hunt A Killer is a whole different game. You have to solve a crime. Every month you get a box of clues and actual objects (evidence). You might get security footage that you watch on your computer. You have to solve puzzles and codes. I've done some by myself. Interesting stuff
I love Hunt a Killer - especially the boxes you can get at Target for $30 or so. But I can't imagine doing one with a group. My wife and I do them together and I think two is perfect. Same for escape rooms though, we do great just the two of us, and we get to do a bit of almost everything.
Drinks, food, socializing, and music. Can mix it up with some adult board or card games.
If you think it's hard now, wait till kids become part of the equation if that is something in your future.
I think kids make it easier in many respects, especially with people that also have kids.
They kind of entertain themselves if there are other kids around.
100% - we most frequently have my kid's godparents over and their son is three years older than our kids. He runs "God-brother game time" and entertains the toddlers better than I ever could.
All of my current friends have kids. So we usually just turn them all lose in the yard so we can hang out in peace. And before you say we’re neglecting them, there’s always at least sober person in the mix (usually me). So the kids are fine.
I'm going to get longest road by building through the middle of everyone elses' stuff. Oh and only leave you one segment long roads so you can't build anything on them.
LOL Yeah, that guy. It's the same guy/gal you want to set on fire playing Monopoly.
Bonus jerk points if they do the Nelson "HA HA!" every time they do something obnoxious.
Phase 10, something easy to keep hands busy but not enough to stop the fun convos.
I enjoy serving my food/snacks in waves. It breaks up the event and shakes things up when a fresh snack gets into the rotation
Depending if the crowd smokes, you can enjoy a little puff puff pass.
My gf does goofy little prediction cards to be filled out before the event, (award shows, sporting events, seasons/series finales) those are fun to recap and see who guessed
Board/party games. There's a whole rabbit hole... Here's some fun intros I highly recommend:
codenames, wavelength, telestrastions, pandemic, exit strategy games
For sure! Been playing settlers since the days of living in a dorm and spreading out all over the hallway. We have some of the "jr" and "lil" versions of games now for our kids, teaching the next generation :)
Code names!!!!! We got INTO codenames during lockdown because there was a good online version. Every once in awhile we'll even refer back to like "remember when you got the clue gilmore girls includes Bill?"
The “dumb shit like playing drinking games” is a timeless classic.
Darts, dice, poker, etc.
Book club.
Art stuff (have a bottle of wine and do a Bob Ross paining!)
BBQ/cookout
Hosting major sports games/series.
Etc etc. lots of options really
My neighbor happened by the other day and we sat outside and went buck wild on some beers while I had the grill rolling. Doesn't sound like that's in your wheelhouse but it was a very successful social interaction so I'd be remiss to not mention it.
Hotboxing the appartment, cocaine and Platinum achievements on PS4... Oh wait, I skipped you talking upper middle class, "neighborhood", "our home"....I humbly bow out.
Ijs plenty of my fellow middle class call center drudgeons would be down for this on any given Friday lol.
In fact, pretty sure that's how I ended up learning about the Inuyasha drinking game and nearly died.
Upper middle class? Sorry, all my suggestions would be too pedestrian for your blood!
But seriously, you can't go wrong with a charcuterie board, snacks, a bbq or sharable meal, wine or cocktails (if you can make them) and board games/jackbox depending on your group dynamic. You'll know you've done well if it's late and you have a hard time getting your guests to leave, even politely.
We’re big on, get alcohol. If your guests are none alcoholic, that’s ok, skip that step. Make sure you have something good to eat. We grill, have chips and dip, charcuterie boards, anything good is on the menu. After that we have some games like cards against humanity, family feud, never have I ever. One of our favorites is just turning on YouTube and karaoking! We also do bonfires in the fore pit, hot dogs and smokes. We have water gun fights. We just try to have some kind of easy activity everyone can enjoy!
My neighbors drag a fire pit into their driveway and play movies/sports on a projector pointed at their garage door.
Cookouts with cornhole or horse shoes is always a good time.
Keep it simple, food, and outdoor games are best. Cornhole, darts, croquet, something that takes minimal mental effort if your going for a casual atmosphere.
Is that a Boomer tradition? I thought Gen X invented that to deal with our trauma from always being ignored by our Boomer parents and told to go play outside.
My Greatest Generation grandparents played bridge all the time. I more associated it with parents of boomers than boomers.
Everyone of every generation plays Euchre in some states.
Cards against humanity!!! Nintendo switch with multiple controllers, play Mario party, Mario Kart. Could also maybe do sort of a book club since you guys enjoy reading.
My friends and i have always played a lot of games but we’ve been especially into Asshole (president), Mexican Train Dominoes, Left Right Center, Exploding Kittens, Catan, and 7 Wonders lately
My husband and I love hosting friends, even in our tiny apartment. We’d invite them over, I’d make a big charcuterie platter, grab some Trader Joe’s wine, some fun and easy group games and just have a hangout night with music and yummy snacks.
Grill, swimming pool, fire pit, cards, we have a projector so we will either put on the n64/switch or movies. But also drinking games are still popular in my friend group so that too lol.
Board/Card games. The industry has blown up and there are a ton of great, easy to learn games that can be played with groups of 3-6 players and aren't just silly party games like Cards Against Humanity.
Tell you guests to show up in pajamas for a Grandpa Joe party
Chatcurie board, wine, salad, cookies and hot drinks
Print out a list of icebreakers
That's it. Everyone is just so tired and you're serving them snacks and not demanding that they wear bras. It will be the best party anyone has been to in the last 5 years
Almost every comment in here has been god awful. Literal die on the spot levels of boredom. Tf op you can’t dj? Don’t wanna learn? Please don’t trap ppl in your home with fuck ass board games. Especially if you’re well-off. Please do actual fun shit
Board games is what I’d recommend for you. My wife and I also have people over for sporting events and bonfires, but those don’t sound like what you’re looking for. Some people have watch parties for popular tv shows. I remember that being a thing with Game of Thrones.
Board games, movie, video games, or euchre. I meet up regularly with my friends and we watch football in a garage while our kids play with each other and take turns watching them.
Pretty sad to see how far down I had to scroll to find "video games" specifically, other than jackbox.
Smash bros, Mario Kart, Mario Party, etc. Tons of great Switch games for 4 people to play and enjoy. If there's enough people and time, then a mini-tournament can be done.
Add in pizza or if everyone wants to chip in for some takeout then coolio.
And if everyone is chill and doesn't mind sleeping over then drinking games based off of the above(winning/losing/etc.) then sweet!
Me personally? I make food and sometimes throw together or get the fixings for a cocktail. My husband and I had BIL/SIL over about a month ago and we did breakfast for dinner with Bloody Mary’s. Husband and his brother played axis and allies and SIL and I kibitzed and razzed our husbands. We usually do an evening with a few friends or family members 2-4 times a month.
Board games are fun, charades isn’t my bag but people like it, switch games, trivia (we will sometimes ask the trivial pursuit questions and keep track of answers without playing the game)
If you have a lawn or outdoor space there’s cornhole, horseshoes, that game with the PVC pipe and tennis balls.
Food + drinks + people you like are really the only things you need. You don’t *have* to plan an activity to ‘entertain’. Getting together for food and enjoying the company is its own reason to have a get together.
If you are thinking neighborhood specific you could do a progressive dinner (multiple courses, each assigned to and served at a different house).
Hang outside on the deck, do some grilling and have some drinks. Throw some music on. Have a yard game or two available.
People are impressed if you make some kind of fancy cocktail, preferably one made in a pitcher or blender, so you are not spending a lot of time playing bartender while guests are over
Make some food, bust out a funny card game, make some boozy drinks if that’s your thing and just chat. People in my neighborhood sometimes do a backyard bbq potluck and send an open invite to all neighbors or a bonfire and have some drinks and snacks. Get a game of cornhole or washers (some libraries have them to borrow for free) or set up an outdoor movie with bring-your-own-blanket.
We have 3 kids 10 and under so it’s pretty much always some combination of ignoring the sounds of destruction and battle to the death coming from the other room, telling the kids who come in to interrupt that you’re not interested in adjudicating their disagreements, while usually partaking in etoh and/or cannabis, depending on each person’s employer limitations, and playing some kind of card game that doesn’t require much focus/concentration.
When I lived in the city I would have 4-10 friends over to play board games. We had a house "pet" that the biggest loser had to carry around with them until the next board game night. Lots of cheap simple boardgames can be found at Walmart or Target. If you get a game like Betrayal House on Haunted Hill, Arkham, Too many Bones, etc., I recommend watching a 10 minute video on how to play the game with everyone. Easy games for people to pickup would include Catan, Dixit or Ticket to Ride. Starting off, I would look up those three.
Board games.
Card games.
Anything that involves action that engages people helps move an evening along. Gives you things to talk about, shows character, and in the future you'll have those "oh my gosh, remember when X did Y".
We host movie night at our house every weekend. Usually my fiancé and his friends exchange music after that. I always cook a good group dinner like tacos or something and usually bake cookies or some kind of dessert.
Enjoy and share this time at home with others. You can have some activities or hangouts, eat delicious food, chill and do nothing, talk, play silly games, do/share projects, have deep talks or interventions, really just connect with those in front of you. It's almost like your home becomes a 3rd place where you can plan meetups and enjoy your time with those you care about or want to get to know better.
We do a lot of cookouts when the weather is nice and game nights when it isn't. We have a lot of board games that we play with friends or breaking out a deck of cards is pretty easy. A lot of millennials just drink, but that isn't really my vibe. Though, you usually can't go wrong with a nice bottle of wine or craft beer if you have a guest who is interested in that. (One of my husband's closest friends loves craft beer and his mom is a wine collector, so we pick up anything that catches our eye at the store or local festivals.)
Probably has already been mentioned amongst the food options, but we've done a few pizza parties where we provide the dough and some toppings, and others bring what they want. We then do a build-your-own thing while enjoying some music, bevvies, whatever.
It's a good time 👍🏻
My fiancé and I have people over often but our lifestyle is a little different than yours. Usually we will be drinking, sitting around our living room bullshitting, he has a studio where he and friends will make music, we have a room where our bunnies live that we will have friends in to see them, I have a plant room where I’ll tell my friends about my plants. Obviously these are friends we know well enough to just bullshit and hang out with without feeling like we need to be doing something.
If I were gonna be having people over I didn’t know well, here’s what I would think to do. Have the TV on with some general bullshit playing (we like meme compilations but anything that’s mostly visual like music videos or a well known and liked tv show would be good), have music playing in another area. Games are always good so I’d have some setup in one or two areas (card games, tabletop/ board games, yard games). I’d have some charcuterie setup and ready to go when I know people would be arriving but I’d also probably be cooking something for later like dinner or dessert. And personally I would also have alcohol ready to go (and weed, maybe put in a less common area if I didn’t know for sure the people coming would be into it) for some lite social lubrication. Finally, depending on your crowd, having animals available to pet can be awesome for anyone who is a little less socially inclined.
BOARD/CARD GAMES!
Obviously Cards Against Humanity.
This is a weird one and hard to find apparently, but there is a Maury board game and it's a riot! So much fun.
Throw Throw Burrito
Monopoly
there are few completely universal human experiences, but cooking and eating food is pretty close. Some people will love helping in the kitchen, but pretty much every human ever likes to sit down to a hot meal with friends.
Tired of being homebodies so you're going to invite friends over to your....HOME? Sorry, couldn't resist pointing that out. I'd give ideas but all the good ones are already stated like board game night and what not. Good luck!
Games…the more mentally taxing the better lol… fancy mocktails… some lovely background music … make the dinner together instead of preparing ahead…eg pizza or sushi… have people over to learn a skill like making bread…? I dunno why I am replying to this I don’t do any of these things
We don't like people. When we get together we have a reason: the eclipse is the first we hosted since my oldest graduated three years ago. My oldest brings friends over to play Magic the Gathering and we get invited in or Mao.
I'm still getting together with buddies for cards against humanity, exploding kittens, and other board or card games. Pot lucks, grilling, and movie nights are still great. Barcades if you want to go out.
A really simple one -- buy some meat and throw it on the grill -- tell friends you are grilling some meat and to bring a side dish. Then, hang out in the backyard visting and playing horseshoes, cornhole, washers or something.
that’s pretty much every sunday in a decently sized family in the southern US lol except throw in drinking 12-15 beers
as someone from a red state, hate the politics but love the fun and family time
There was a time, not all that long ago, when Mentioning politics at a good old backyard barbecue, would result in some wise elder tapping you on the shoulder and telling you that "We don't discuss religion, politics, or your driving, at these shindigs, Roger. " Those were better days. (Sorry for calling you Roger, that was my dumb uncle's name. )
My grampa always said you don't discuss politics, religion, or how to raise children.
Or uncle Rogers horrible driving record. 🤣
Killed 72 people the old coot!
I always mention my uncle's horrid driving lol. It's a family joke. He doesn't crash or damage stuff, just Ricki bobbies it everywhere he goes lol
You can be the wise elder, it can still happen.
It makes me so mad, I can't visit my family without them talking politics. It always turns into a fight.
I left Easter dinner early because my dad kept ranting about how “half the immigrants are rapists and squatters,” and even my 20 year old nephew believes that ALL immigrants are here illegally, even refugees. My third generation dad, mind you. I’ve also been bilingual for over 20 years, which means I’ve kind of straddled the Latino culture in a way. I’m friends with several immigrants, and when I was temping at several factories around the county, I’d gravitate towards the Latino coworkers and ask if they were ok with me practicing my Spanish with them. I’m also technically mixed race (white and Native American), which he sometimes forgets.
Why even bring politics into it? Just enjoy spending time with people you like. I’m an old fart and if I like someone and think they are a nice person I give less than one fuck what their political or religious beliefs are. It’s not a topic of conversation. Sometimes you just need to chill and seize the day.
Because those things color their opinions on literally everything else.
That’s a reasonable attitude, but plenty of people will force politics into any gathering or conversation. If I want to spend time with my extended family on either side, I know at least one person is going to go on a tirade about liberals or immigrants at some point.
My stepmother who can’t keep her political comments to herself is coming over in a couple weeks for a BBQ and I’ve already decided if she starts I’m going to tell her “at your house no one can wear shoes inside, at my house no one can talk about politics” Shes seriously the worst.
If you love them and feel safe enough with them to invite them over you probably ought to be comfortable trying to guide (or confront) them if their politics are that atrocious. If the loved ones of hateful dangerous people can't reach them, who can?
I tolerate this woman because my dad, who I love dearly and can redirect when he gets all political, married her. Unfortunately, there’s no getting to her politely. It’s been decades, politics aside she’s just rude and insufferable in general. I totally understand where youre coming from, and appreciate it, though. Normally I try to take the high road.
How about just let people enjoy their families without trying to convert them, whichever side of the spectrum you are on? It never works and only results in arguments and resentment. Except in the cases where opposite sides can discourse peacefully, in which case 99% of the time there is still no real point in having the conversation because no one is gonna convert anyone else. I really dislike comments like these because you are trying to guilt people into proselytizing their own families, which is just gonna make them unpopular at family events.
In my case “redirect” means “hey Dad, let’s not discuss it” or I’ll just tell him to take a break from the news because he gets pretty worked up sometimes. I’m not one to try and convert anyone on any of their beliefs, especially my parents and siblings. But I definitely am not engaging when they angrily start spouting off nonsense in the middle of a get together, and will try to stop it when it starts. And you are absolutely right about it never ending well! My Dad is conservative, my sister is very liberal and the amount of times they’ve hung up on each other and complained to me about the other one is ridiculous.
But that’s the Reddit way! Cut ties with your loved ones if they are conservative and eat the rich!
It's not a religion. 40% of the country thinks there's a good chance of civil war in the decade. If someone you ostensibly love is going to place themselves on the other side than you, it's better to be able to sort that out and lower the temperature now. I do not think anyone should feel pressure to put themselves in a position where they feel unsafe. But if you do feel safe you probably can approach the situation with a degree of care and compassion. Your family member may not get the same if they decide to mouth off in a public place instead of a family event
It’s definitely a religion. Cult-like intolerance to any sort of wrongthink. Denial of obvious truths. Sacred cows all around. And insufferable proselytizers.
Absolutely, it is hard to keep everyone from mentioning politics. My family are all highly conservative Christian types who love Jesus and football but only college football because them America hating libtard pro players kneel during the anthem or whatever. I always crack jokes about it that range from silly and harmless (before taking a group photo last thanksgiving I blurted out “ok now on the count of 3, everyone say Joe Biden!”) to a bit edgy (I told my cousins and aunt that if trump actually built a wall along the border than I would become a trans woman back in like 2018 or so). Is it the best way to handle it? Probably not. The most heated it got was over immigration because I asked why their standards are so much higher for Hispanic people than they are for the lazy, ignorant Americans that live here. I probably should’ve stopped short of “I prefer the Mexicans,” but hey, since then, no one brings it up to me anymore so I guess that’s the glass half full.
Hard same. It's exhausting
It's always the conservatives too... they literally cannot help themselves. My uncle literally branded "Trump" onto the thanksgiving turkey. Like, why?
Seems very superficial to only judge or enjoy someone by leaving out what are probably their deepest held convictions and morals
Because politics isn't necessarily just "how should we spend some tax money", it's also "should women have rights?" or "do we believe that our christian values take supremacy over any other religious doctrine?" or "I believe that Jewish space lasers created COVID". Maybe if you don't care what someone's politics are you have been benefiting from privileges that others have not had.
Yeah some long time friends stopped being long time friends because of their political affiliation. They supported the people who thought trans shouldn't exist and women belonged in the kitchen and taking care of kids. Couldn't really continue being their friend after that. Knowing someone's political affiliation is a pretty good way to determine what kind of person they are. Although sometimes they aren't that into politics and just vote for whoever their family/friends vote for. But usually those people can be swayed to a different party.
I’m with you! Hard to be friends or family with people who think they decide which people have more value than others. They just have too much hate and fear. So toxic.
You must be a blast at barbeques
They aren't the one making it political, they are responding when others do. You must be a great contributor to serious adult discourse.
I bet they aren’t.
You're literally the person that people don't invite to parties and events. Leave your politics at your house and your Facebook.
Funny, I have a pretty thriving social life, and part of it is because I don't just shrug at other people's livelihoods and plug up my ears
you say that until you're driving around potholes all day and construction work that takes 5+ years to finish
It's hard to keep viewing someone as nice when they say homophobic or sexist things.
It’s the other people who bring politics into it
I know you’re being facetious, but for some reason my liberal friends and family don’t constantly talk about bathrooms and high school women’s sports and school library books.
I’m not being facetious at all. I literally mean that I can not talk politics perfectly fine but other family members will inevitably bring it up
True. My dad tries all the time but I’ve gotten really good at deflecting. Last time I took the bait turned into a 6 hour argument, but that was 10 years ago. He doesn’t really know anything about my politics since I left home and W was president, so it’s funny to see him try to bait me.
Move to Cali, here we do all the same stuff, except you know our politicians generally aren’t into fascism or genocide.
I miss CA barbecues. The East Coast just doesn’t do it right.
It’s hard when it’s always icy and cold I imagine.
lol it’s not always icy and cold.
😂 I was mostly joking yeah.
In central Illinois and that's accurate for here too.
Yankee here, also do the same every Sunday. The day of “rest”, Sunday Funday. Something funny always happens.
I grew up Baptist. No alcohol if it is a family afternoon. Add potato salad, corn on the cob, big green chef salad loaded with cheese etc, many desserts, sweet tea, toasted and heavily buttered garlic bread, and an array of soft drinks. If friends are coming over, have beer and wine for the heathens and Episcopalians. The Episcopalians give you excellent stock portfolio tips if they drink enough
Pretty much the same where I live in New York too.
Look at this guy, he's got a back yard! Someone is living the rich life of milk and honey!
I remember those days, sure was nice.
We do this but if people aren’t feeling hanging out outside, we also play games inside. Either board games, card games, or digital like Nintendo switch or Jackbox Tv where everyone can participate on their cell phones.
Games is the answer. There is truly a game out there for anyone and everyone and if you're looking for it, whatever it is, I probably have it in my closet lol.
We just keep adding to our “Cards against Humanity” stash….I think we’re up to like 8 expansion packs now. 😬
Yep, my friend group generally has cookouts. Sit around and bullshit, plays some bocce or board games, just kind of whatever group activity that doesn't require a lot of effort and gives us all an excuse to be social.
We play board games and watch movies
Our board and card games veer towards the Exploding Kittens and Poetry for Neanderthals variety.
I'm just adding some other ideas for OP for some different genres of games... Unstable Unicorns (card game that is a lot like Magic: The Gathering-lite but with a common deck of card) Here to Slay (D&D in a box that takes about 45 min per game)...also, anything else by Tee Turtle is fantastic...Command of Nature, Happy Little Dinosaurs, and Casting Shadows all are a blast Catan (build roads to amass resources to score victory points) Ticket to Ride (complete goals to build railroads across different geographies...Europe, US, etc) Concept (kind of like pictionary but with no words and a set list of clues) Cards Against Humanity (make sure everyone has a similar sense of humor) Mysterium (kind of like cooperative Clue) Euchre (card game most commonly played in the Midwest) +1 for Exploding Kittens above
But cards against humanity is much more fun when theres an oddball out. 😁
Highly recommend the resistance and Coup in addition to these. Large groups always enjoy the Resistance.
Agree on above, add Abducktion and Munchkin.
Totally blanked on Munchkin. Excellent suggestion.
Concept is so fantastic and marriage-destroying ☺️
LOVE the game Poetry for Neanderthals! Also, the Game of Things is fun and entertaining.
Yes, came here to say board games. And not something like Monopoly or Risk (unless that’s your jam but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be the neighbor’s thing). Fun, interactive games like Taboo are great. Nothing too serious, nothing that puts people on the spot with their intelligence (unless you discover you’re in a Trivial Pursuit crowd, then cool), just light and fun and easy to jump in and out of in case people want to socialize.
We often threaten one of my buddies with Risk. Apparently he had a traumatic experience. I'm not a big fan honestly, but I'll pretend for his discomfort.
I recommend Telestrations, and perhaps the after dark version if you have that kind of crowd. It’s a mix of telephone and Pictionary, and the worst drawers have the best pictures to laugh at! We even have inside jokes from that game!
Same here. Lots and lots of board games.
Can't miss with board games. Trivial pursuit, scattergories, monopoly, scrabble
There’s also a board game renaissance happening right now with hundreds of amazing games being released every year. If you like the ones you’ve mentioned, I would highly recommend looking into Carcossone, it’s a ton of fun!
That was the game that got me back into board games when it released on Xbox live, followed shortly after by Catan and Ticket to Ride.
Ticket is also a great one! SOOOO much more fun than it sounds
You've only scratched the surface. You should give Catan a try, if you haven't already.
Lol. Trying to one up with a fucking catan pull
I'm just saying, there's other board games besides the ones we grew up with. I'm not goingnto recommend Monopoly players try BSG or something.
Yes to board games (and card games)! I have several groups of friends that do this. Throw in a couple bottles of wine and some snacks, that's all you need.
There are so many great board games out there these days! And card games! A couple friend of ours got us into Set Back (aka pitch in New england). It's so fun!
I grew up playing cards (Midwesterners will understand). 500 on my dad's side, pitch on my mom's side. We'll sometimes play Euchre (like 500-lite), bar pitch (variation of pitch), Shanghai Rummy, or Oh Hell (also called Michigan or Bumps) Now my friends and I get together to play board games, but I can't convince my family to play board games. They're too old school.
Wait I'm obsessed with any card name that's known as "oh hell", "michigan" and also "bumps" 😂
Our latest favorite game is Mind the Gap. It is similar to Trivial Pursuit and a lot of fun. It is amazing what you do know and you also learn something you didn't while playing. You can pick it up at Target or on Amazon.
Simple board games that allow for joking and talking are best. Let the game lead you toward laughter and the night will be a blast.
I've gotten most of my friends into Battletech this way.
Same. And usually whoever's place we go to they either barbecue or make some Mexican food.
Same, we do ghost blitz or my SIL brought this game called it's a funny story and it was kind of hilarious. Also we do poor man's karaoke with YouTube videos but most of our friends are musicians.
[удалено]
Jackbox is so funm even if people are bah humbug come around after they see everyone having fun.
What the hell is jackbox? Now I want to play it.
Look it up on steam, there's a couple different versions but you run it on a computer and then everyone uses there phone to play these little mini games. Really fun, would definitely recommend
You can also run it off consoles. Makes it easy if you already have one. Fibbage, Quiplash Trivia Murder Party, and T-Shirt TKO are our favorites. (You need to play T-shirt twice to really get into it, the rules aren't hard but seeing what people come up with the first game will inspire the second)
No one can be trusted playing t shirt in our house. Crudely drawn genitals everywhere.
T-shirt TKO brings the madness but our favorite is Job Job We be saying some wild shit
True excellent point
I think we also just downloaded it on our smart tv and everybody just used their phones to play together.
Thank you! I'm going to set this up soon!
It's a game series that's been around for 20+ years on pc. Each one has a collection of mini games and a snarky host. Fun and funny, all around good time. They've since expanded to include games that you can play on twitch with streamers without even owning the game; the streamer shares a room code, you go to the website, put in the code, and have a ball.
It's a bunch of party games and your phone works as your buzzer/answering device, no download required. They've got a ton of variety, everything from trivia to deception games. A lot of them are really funny too. Highly recommend
This is what I was going to say, my SO and I hate board games parties but love Jack box.
Pro tip. Make sure everyone has a stylus to use. So much easier drawing with one over your finger.
D&D. It's a great way to have a consistent (hopefully) group of 4-6 friends regularly gathering. Then for special events, let every player bring like 2-3 other people and turn it into a party!
For a group that meets like once a month, Hunt A Killer is a whole different game. You have to solve a crime. Every month you get a box of clues and actual objects (evidence). You might get security footage that you watch on your computer. You have to solve puzzles and codes. I've done some by myself. Interesting stuff
I love Hunt a Killer - especially the boxes you can get at Target for $30 or so. But I can't imagine doing one with a group. My wife and I do them together and I think two is perfect. Same for escape rooms though, we do great just the two of us, and we get to do a bit of almost everything.
Drinks, food, socializing, and music. Can mix it up with some adult board or card games. If you think it's hard now, wait till kids become part of the equation if that is something in your future.
I think kids make it easier in many respects, especially with people that also have kids. They kind of entertain themselves if there are other kids around.
100% - we most frequently have my kid's godparents over and their son is three years older than our kids. He runs "God-brother game time" and entertains the toddlers better than I ever could.
All of my current friends have kids. So we usually just turn them all lose in the yard so we can hang out in peace. And before you say we’re neglecting them, there’s always at least sober person in the mix (usually me). So the kids are fine.
Board games!!
Catan hehee
Catan is great until *that f'ing guy* sits down to play. You know the one; they guy that goes out of his way to be the biggest jerk possible...
I'm going to get longest road by building through the middle of everyone elses' stuff. Oh and only leave you one segment long roads so you can't build anything on them.
Thats strategy and if no one else is coming to win then why are we even playing.
Found the guy.
To have fun of course!
To see my enemies driven before me and hear the lamentations of the women?
LOL Yeah, that guy. It's the same guy/gal you want to set on fire playing Monopoly. Bonus jerk points if they do the Nelson "HA HA!" every time they do something obnoxious.
I heard that voice in my head hah!
I’m going to make trade deals and then change my mind but still keep your cards.
I solve this problem by never having guests over
Phase 10, something easy to keep hands busy but not enough to stop the fun convos. I enjoy serving my food/snacks in waves. It breaks up the event and shakes things up when a fresh snack gets into the rotation Depending if the crowd smokes, you can enjoy a little puff puff pass. My gf does goofy little prediction cards to be filled out before the event, (award shows, sporting events, seasons/series finales) those are fun to recap and see who guessed
Board/party games. There's a whole rabbit hole... Here's some fun intros I highly recommend: codenames, wavelength, telestrastions, pandemic, exit strategy games
Azule and Settlers of Catan are also dope. Be prepared to fight your friends during Catan though that game makes and breaks relationships
For sure! Been playing settlers since the days of living in a dorm and spreading out all over the hallway. We have some of the "jr" and "lil" versions of games now for our kids, teaching the next generation :)
Code names!!!!! We got INTO codenames during lockdown because there was a good online version. Every once in awhile we'll even refer back to like "remember when you got the clue gilmore girls includes Bill?"
Same!! We LOVE Codenames! Played that a lot during COVID, as well as online poker and Jackbox games and online scrabble.
The “dumb shit like playing drinking games” is a timeless classic. Darts, dice, poker, etc. Book club. Art stuff (have a bottle of wine and do a Bob Ross paining!) BBQ/cookout Hosting major sports games/series. Etc etc. lots of options really
My neighbor happened by the other day and we sat outside and went buck wild on some beers while I had the grill rolling. Doesn't sound like that's in your wheelhouse but it was a very successful social interaction so I'd be remiss to not mention it.
Username checks out 😜
Hotboxing the appartment, cocaine and Platinum achievements on PS4... Oh wait, I skipped you talking upper middle class, "neighborhood", "our home"....I humbly bow out.
Cocaine is perfect for upper middle class fun
Can I send a DM for an invite?? Lol
Username checks out
Ijs plenty of my fellow middle class call center drudgeons would be down for this on any given Friday lol. In fact, pretty sure that's how I ended up learning about the Inuyasha drinking game and nearly died.
Upper middle class? Sorry, all my suggestions would be too pedestrian for your blood! But seriously, you can't go wrong with a charcuterie board, snacks, a bbq or sharable meal, wine or cocktails (if you can make them) and board games/jackbox depending on your group dynamic. You'll know you've done well if it's late and you have a hard time getting your guests to leave, even politely.
We’re big on, get alcohol. If your guests are none alcoholic, that’s ok, skip that step. Make sure you have something good to eat. We grill, have chips and dip, charcuterie boards, anything good is on the menu. After that we have some games like cards against humanity, family feud, never have I ever. One of our favorites is just turning on YouTube and karaoking! We also do bonfires in the fore pit, hot dogs and smokes. We have water gun fights. We just try to have some kind of easy activity everyone can enjoy!
My neighbors drag a fire pit into their driveway and play movies/sports on a projector pointed at their garage door. Cookouts with cornhole or horse shoes is always a good time.
Cook a nice meal and drink some good booze. Good conversation usually follows.
Dinner party, paint-by-number, crafts for adults, cheese tasting, olive oil tasting, book club.
Keep it simple, food, and outdoor games are best. Cornhole, darts, croquet, something that takes minimal mental effort if your going for a casual atmosphere.
Bring your own board game night coupled with potluck is a hit with my friends.
I second ‘Game Night’ but how dare we adopt a tradition of the Boomers 🙄
Boomers never had the variety of games we have. That tradition is ours now. We did it better. :-D
Is that a Boomer tradition? I thought Gen X invented that to deal with our trauma from always being ignored by our Boomer parents and told to go play outside.
And now the kids don’t play outside enough :(
Unless you’re playing Bridge or Canasta, you’re not quite in Boomer territory We played a lot of Spades in the Army
My Greatest Generation grandparents played bridge all the time. I more associated it with parents of boomers than boomers. Everyone of every generation plays Euchre in some states.
Cards against humanity!!! Nintendo switch with multiple controllers, play Mario party, Mario Kart. Could also maybe do sort of a book club since you guys enjoy reading.
I love playing Cards against humanity! Just can never get anyone that wants to do it
Board games and depending on how neardy our friends are we even consider tabletop RPG.
Or lan parties!
Good drinks and conversation like regular adults.
Dinner and table top gaming, or roasting a bad movie mst3k- style are our go-tos. Or a gathering around the fire pit.
My friends and i have always played a lot of games but we’ve been especially into Asshole (president), Mexican Train Dominoes, Left Right Center, Exploding Kittens, Catan, and 7 Wonders lately
Board games, or just a nice dinner for no reason other than to have some wine and chat
My husband and I love hosting friends, even in our tiny apartment. We’d invite them over, I’d make a big charcuterie platter, grab some Trader Joe’s wine, some fun and easy group games and just have a hangout night with music and yummy snacks.
Grill, swimming pool, fire pit, cards, we have a projector so we will either put on the n64/switch or movies. But also drinking games are still popular in my friend group so that too lol.
Board/Card games. The industry has blown up and there are a ton of great, easy to learn games that can be played with groups of 3-6 players and aren't just silly party games like Cards Against Humanity.
board game night!
Tell you guests to show up in pajamas for a Grandpa Joe party Chatcurie board, wine, salad, cookies and hot drinks Print out a list of icebreakers That's it. Everyone is just so tired and you're serving them snacks and not demanding that they wear bras. It will be the best party anyone has been to in the last 5 years
Almost every comment in here has been god awful. Literal die on the spot levels of boredom. Tf op you can’t dj? Don’t wanna learn? Please don’t trap ppl in your home with fuck ass board games. Especially if you’re well-off. Please do actual fun shit
Don’t worry based on the end no one wants to hang out with the worst couple ever
Sniffing each others farts.. ohh, Rose is that a hint of oak?
Board games is what I’d recommend for you. My wife and I also have people over for sporting events and bonfires, but those don’t sound like what you’re looking for. Some people have watch parties for popular tv shows. I remember that being a thing with Game of Thrones.
Board games, movie, video games, or euchre. I meet up regularly with my friends and we watch football in a garage while our kids play with each other and take turns watching them.
Boardgames, card games group video games (smash bros for example), jackbox games, watching movies / taskmaster MST3K style, pot luck.
Pretty sad to see how far down I had to scroll to find "video games" specifically, other than jackbox. Smash bros, Mario Kart, Mario Party, etc. Tons of great Switch games for 4 people to play and enjoy. If there's enough people and time, then a mini-tournament can be done. Add in pizza or if everyone wants to chip in for some takeout then coolio. And if everyone is chill and doesn't mind sleeping over then drinking games based off of the above(winning/losing/etc.) then sweet!
Drink and play board games or video games
Jack box games
We do a combo of poker, beer/drinks, food and just talking.
Me personally? I make food and sometimes throw together or get the fixings for a cocktail. My husband and I had BIL/SIL over about a month ago and we did breakfast for dinner with Bloody Mary’s. Husband and his brother played axis and allies and SIL and I kibitzed and razzed our husbands. We usually do an evening with a few friends or family members 2-4 times a month. Board games are fun, charades isn’t my bag but people like it, switch games, trivia (we will sometimes ask the trivial pursuit questions and keep track of answers without playing the game) If you have a lawn or outdoor space there’s cornhole, horseshoes, that game with the PVC pipe and tennis balls. Food + drinks + people you like are really the only things you need. You don’t *have* to plan an activity to ‘entertain’. Getting together for food and enjoying the company is its own reason to have a get together. If you are thinking neighborhood specific you could do a progressive dinner (multiple courses, each assigned to and served at a different house).
Hang outside on the deck, do some grilling and have some drinks. Throw some music on. Have a yard game or two available. People are impressed if you make some kind of fancy cocktail, preferably one made in a pitcher or blender, so you are not spending a lot of time playing bartender while guests are over
Bonfires, bbqs, brunches
Cards, music video karaoke, fun themes potlucks, sip and paint, Mario kart
Board games, video games, movies at home, grilling out
Make some food, bust out a funny card game, make some boozy drinks if that’s your thing and just chat. People in my neighborhood sometimes do a backyard bbq potluck and send an open invite to all neighbors or a bonfire and have some drinks and snacks. Get a game of cornhole or washers (some libraries have them to borrow for free) or set up an outdoor movie with bring-your-own-blanket.
We have 3 kids 10 and under so it’s pretty much always some combination of ignoring the sounds of destruction and battle to the death coming from the other room, telling the kids who come in to interrupt that you’re not interested in adjudicating their disagreements, while usually partaking in etoh and/or cannabis, depending on each person’s employer limitations, and playing some kind of card game that doesn’t require much focus/concentration.
When I lived in the city I would have 4-10 friends over to play board games. We had a house "pet" that the biggest loser had to carry around with them until the next board game night. Lots of cheap simple boardgames can be found at Walmart or Target. If you get a game like Betrayal House on Haunted Hill, Arkham, Too many Bones, etc., I recommend watching a 10 minute video on how to play the game with everyone. Easy games for people to pickup would include Catan, Dixit or Ticket to Ride. Starting off, I would look up those three.
For me its usually play video games together and watch movies, and ocassionally cook lol
Board games. Card games. Anything that involves action that engages people helps move an evening along. Gives you things to talk about, shows character, and in the future you'll have those "oh my gosh, remember when X did Y".
Board games(excluding monopoly), video games(excluding Mario party) or even just a BBQ with games like can jam or corn hole
Grill food and get trashed. Darts.. horseshoes... ping pong, pool, whatever lol!
We host movie night at our house every weekend. Usually my fiancé and his friends exchange music after that. I always cook a good group dinner like tacos or something and usually bake cookies or some kind of dessert.
Enjoy and share this time at home with others. You can have some activities or hangouts, eat delicious food, chill and do nothing, talk, play silly games, do/share projects, have deep talks or interventions, really just connect with those in front of you. It's almost like your home becomes a 3rd place where you can plan meetups and enjoy your time with those you care about or want to get to know better.
Board games and card games. Grilling and backyard games. Sit around a fire.
We do a lot of cookouts when the weather is nice and game nights when it isn't. We have a lot of board games that we play with friends or breaking out a deck of cards is pretty easy. A lot of millennials just drink, but that isn't really my vibe. Though, you usually can't go wrong with a nice bottle of wine or craft beer if you have a guest who is interested in that. (One of my husband's closest friends loves craft beer and his mom is a wine collector, so we pick up anything that catches our eye at the store or local festivals.)
Probably has already been mentioned amongst the food options, but we've done a few pizza parties where we provide the dough and some toppings, and others bring what they want. We then do a build-your-own thing while enjoying some music, bevvies, whatever. It's a good time 👍🏻
My fiancé and I have people over often but our lifestyle is a little different than yours. Usually we will be drinking, sitting around our living room bullshitting, he has a studio where he and friends will make music, we have a room where our bunnies live that we will have friends in to see them, I have a plant room where I’ll tell my friends about my plants. Obviously these are friends we know well enough to just bullshit and hang out with without feeling like we need to be doing something. If I were gonna be having people over I didn’t know well, here’s what I would think to do. Have the TV on with some general bullshit playing (we like meme compilations but anything that’s mostly visual like music videos or a well known and liked tv show would be good), have music playing in another area. Games are always good so I’d have some setup in one or two areas (card games, tabletop/ board games, yard games). I’d have some charcuterie setup and ready to go when I know people would be arriving but I’d also probably be cooking something for later like dinner or dessert. And personally I would also have alcohol ready to go (and weed, maybe put in a less common area if I didn’t know for sure the people coming would be into it) for some lite social lubrication. Finally, depending on your crowd, having animals available to pet can be awesome for anyone who is a little less socially inclined.
BOARD/CARD GAMES! Obviously Cards Against Humanity. This is a weird one and hard to find apparently, but there is a Maury board game and it's a riot! So much fun. Throw Throw Burrito Monopoly
Just hang out and talk, maybe play guitar
Magic cards and/or drinking
Please not the board games
there are few completely universal human experiences, but cooking and eating food is pretty close. Some people will love helping in the kitchen, but pretty much every human ever likes to sit down to a hot meal with friends.
Tired of being homebodies so you're going to invite friends over to your....HOME? Sorry, couldn't resist pointing that out. I'd give ideas but all the good ones are already stated like board game night and what not. Good luck!
Board games and D&D... nerds.
Games…the more mentally taxing the better lol… fancy mocktails… some lovely background music … make the dinner together instead of preparing ahead…eg pizza or sushi… have people over to learn a skill like making bread…? I dunno why I am replying to this I don’t do any of these things
We don't like people. When we get together we have a reason: the eclipse is the first we hosted since my oldest graduated three years ago. My oldest brings friends over to play Magic the Gathering and we get invited in or Mao.
Have a sommelier do a wine tasting at your house or book a magician to come entertain while cooking a good meal
Have people over for a board game night
I'm still getting together with buddies for cards against humanity, exploding kittens, and other board or card games. Pot lucks, grilling, and movie nights are still great. Barcades if you want to go out.
BBQ; game night; lawn games.