Add Someone to the Table This Year

The holidays have this way of pulling us back into the rhythms we love — the familiar recipes, the traditions we cling to, the people we look forward to gathering with year after year. For many of us, that table is already full of family. We’re blessed with people who show up, who bring their favorite dish, who know exactly where the good napkins are stored.

But every season, there are people around us who don’t have that.

Maybe it’s the young couple at church who just moved to Boise for a job and spent their last dollars on a moving truck. Maybe it’s a coworker whose family lives three states away. Maybe it’s someone quietly hoping the holiday will feel less lonely than it does right now.

And maybe… your table has room.

I’ll never forget the year we decided to scoot over a bit and add two young guys who were just getting started in their careers. They didn’t have anywhere to go, so we told them, “Come eat with us.” And they did.

Watching them dig into the food was fun — and yes, sending them home with leftovers was convenient — but the best part was the way they fit right into our little chaos. They helped my kids butter rolls. They carried pies out of the oven. They laughed with us, prayed with us, and for that one afternoon, they were family.

There’s still a photo of Joey and Jordan sitting at our table that year, squeezed right in with the rest of us. Every time I see it, it reminds me how easy it can be to make someone feel at home… and how much joy it brings in return.

Inviting someone new can feel a little awkward. It’s vulnerable. It stretches us. But I’m convinced most of us won’t regret making room. And for the person sitting in that extra chair? It might be the unexpected blessing they needed — a reminder that they’re seen, included, and loved.

This season, maybe the most meaningful tradition isn’t the one you keep…but the person you welcome.