I have a question for people who live in countries like the United States and Canada. Well I guess it goes for the UK, Australia & New Zealand as well. I have only heard this term from people from North America and so I aim it towards them. When you guys say “I/we like to entertain at home” – that just means having people over for drinks & dinner, right? Maybe some music, maybe a movie afterwards on the dvd player or on tv? Perhaps a game or two?

That’s the impression that I get and I see the lovely dinner or lunch parties that people host in their homes, with lavish food either elaborately and stylishly prepared at home or catered with wine and other booze and perhaps one or two types of desert with coffee to wind up the affair. Or it can be a more casual affair with just good food and some board games while music blares from your music system. But when I hear that term, someone saying that he/she “likes to entertain” at home I get a different image altogether.

Because in my mind,  entertain means…something different from what is mentioned above. We call that having a diner party at home or just plain old having people over for food and drinks. I’d never use the words “I’m entertaining at home”.  When I hear some on a show or a movie say that – “I had visions of the host doing juggling, doing a stand up comedy routine, making thing disappear, sawing a woman in half and or going “now pick a card”! Or perhaps doing flips or going wild doing antics that will cause a wild round of applause! I know I’m weird and being silly but that’s it seems like to me in my head.

“Ladies & gentlemen and children of all ages – what you are about to see is done by a trained professional. Do not attempt to duplicate what you are about to see at home!”