A summer bucket list. We’ve all seen them floating around Pinterest, right? Most summer bucket lists include road trip destinations not to be missed, recipes to try, stargazing tips, ideas for outdoor fun, and general encouragement to enjoy every moment of a beautiful and brief season.
Well, we have a little bucket list of our own for you — along with a fun, FREE, handy-dandy printable for you to tack up inside your pantry or on the back of your front door! We hope it serves as a reminder to just open your door this summer!
To get your wheels turning, here’s what’s on our Summer Hospitality Bucket List!
Kid Indoor Movie Picnic/Adult Outdoor Hangout
Are you craving an evening to connect with friends but bump up against the challenge of finding kid-free time because babysitters aren’t in the budget? No problem! Create a special evening for adults and kids — with a sweet degree of separation. Invite a few families over and set up a kid-friendly indoor movie picnic. Frozen pizza or fish sticks and fruit make for an easy, low-mess dinner they can eat on beach towels or blankets while watching a favorite flick. With the youngins happily fed and entertained, the adults can head outside. String up some lights, gather mismatched chairs, set out a big pitcher of tea, play some James Taylor on Pandora, and voila! Instant relaxation and connection.
Serve Dinner On-the-Go
Nothing has to be fancy when friends come over. Plan for a disposable dinner and use the time you save for simply being together with your pals. Use paper plates and bottled water. Pick up a rotisserie chicken, pre-bagged salads and sides from your grocery store — there’s no need to heat up your kitchen! This will give you extreme flexibility for your location, activities, and menu. Be comfortable with your friends, and they’ll be comfortable in your home.
Front-yard Popsicles and Sprinklers
Make your home welcoming to the kids in your neighborhood! Set out a sprinkler and a cooler full of ice pops — we’ve gathered a few of our favorite popsicle recipes here. If you have kids yourself, send them around the neighborhood inviting all of their friends. If you don’t have your own little messengers, go door-to-door yourself or send a handful of text message invitations. And you know what? Even if no one is home, everyone busy with vacations and softball games, you can splish-splash through that sprinkler yourself! Enjoy an ice pop or two while you’re at it.
Games and (Iced) Coffee Get-together
Invite friends over for a morning of games and iced coffee! Here, try our favorite recipe for iced coffee with sweet cream — our good friend The Nester made this for us years ago when our whole team gathered at her home and we’re still obsessed. Set out muffins (homemade or store bought), a big pitcher of that yummy iced coffee, and your favorite board games. Sip and play the morning away together! It’s a great way to perk up a slow summer week or to take a breather on a busy weekend.
Yard Sale Crawl
Gather up your girlfriends and hit up every garage and yard sale in your city! OK, maybe not every sale . . . but give it a go! Meet up at your house in the morning, maybe enjoy some of that delish iced coffee we talked about, and come up with your route and plan for the day. Grab a few reusable shopping bags to stash your treasures in, and hit the road! When you’ve shopped til you dropped, go back to your house for some icy-cold lemonade and show off your amazing finds.
Campfire Cookout
Invite a family or two over for a fun backyard evening with a campfire supper. Pile sliced potatoes, sliced kielbasa or chicken sausages, diced zucchini and peppers in a piece of aluminum foil. Top with spices and butter pats, wrap tightly into a packet, and place on a grill or over a campfire. Check out this Pinterest board we put together with a few recipes and ideas to get you started!
We can’t wait to hear all the ways you open your doors this summer. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, friends — get creative and brave, and enjoy the beautiful gifts of good friends and great weather.
Be sure to print off your FREE Summer Hospitality Bucket List Printable,
and just open your door to summer fun!
(in)courage team,
What great ideas. I still think my initial gut response to having people over is to groan and think to myself, “I’d love to, but it’s too much work.” Why does it have to be? Love these ideas and the encouragement (and needed reminder) that it’s not about me and what I prepare. It’s about the being together. I find that I enjoy my friends more if the prep is simple. A stressed out cook is not good company to be around. Good message received….going to pick one and just DO IT!
Thanks and blessings,
Bev xx
Bev, simple prep makes all the difference for me too! I find when I focus on the gift of connection with friends over my own hostessing perfection, the pressure melts away. I’m not a fabulous cook, but I can buy a big ol’ box of popsicles and invite others to share my space! So glad this was encouraging to you. 🙂
What a great idea!! Thanks so much, (in)courage team. Hospitality does not have to be hard, and this printable will be a great reminder for me and my family to remember that.
Here’s to some fabulous summer fun and fellowship!
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow! <
Joy in Jesus,
Lara
Amen, Lara!
So I just have to say that the articles on hospitality have given me greater courage… yesterday after seeing a movie with a friend I invited her to my house on a whim. That was huge for me because the house happened to be a wreck! A huge fort the kids built in the living room, spilled craft supplies, a barely clean bathroom with a random sock on the floor, and a kitchen gone crazy because we were camping and life happens and who cleans when you’re not even home? So, thank you. Thank you for helping rewrite the script that plays when I think about having people over. It’s scary to be real with people but it’s a lot better than someone liking a fake version of ourselves.
Great list! We did s’mores in the bbq for guests from dt Los Angeles Their first time. So sweet!