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Put them to work. You know it is going to happen. Have a job designated for whoever shows up before everyone else.

If it's family and they are more than 15 minutes early, make them wait outside.

if they're way early, i might send them out for another bottle of wine or something.

we don't have any friends that are early to anything... this problem seems so unbelievable foreign to me...

we're more familiar with the "what do you do when everyone is at least 45 minutes late?" i always wait to put things out, and then it looks like I'm unprepared...

We have a mutual agreement with a set of friends where we swap being the first ones to each others houses. It really cuts back on that awkward first half hour.

So formal. I just say "come over whenever" and am happy to have them help out or just relax and talk while I finish up if they are "early." I tend not to have an awkward first half hour with my friends or family, though.

make them wait outside? seriously? seriously? travers, please never invite me over for dinner. even if we're family.

put them to work. chat and cook. have them go out for a bottle of wine. but please do not leave them waiting on your doorstep.

that's why you always get yourself ready first: it's less embarrassing to be finishing the appetizers when someone arrives that to e getting dressed or putting on your makeup.

I put them to work, or set them up with a glass of wine in the kitchen to entertain me while I finish prep. Generally, my parties involve good food, so I'm usually still plating by the time the first guest arrives.

Often, my guests arrive in groups so they can entertain each other. If not, they can hang out with me in the kitchen but I don't often have this problem. People are usually headed from a long way away and hit traffic or get lost or something and arrive late.

I just think it's rude, that's all. There is nothing wrong with being 10-15 minutes early if you miscalculated travel time. But if I give you an invitation with a set time, not just a casual "come around 6 or so" then I don't expect you until then.

This used to irk me to no end as entertaining used to stress me out. Luckily the only people who came early were family members (notably, my parents and my in-laws; is it a generational thing?). But after enough "complaints" on my end, they know better and unless I specifically ask my mom to come early to help out (handy to have an extra set of hands to deal with my daughter) then I rarely get people coming over early. Most are right on time which is nice. But, as I've gotten more comfortable with having people over, I would just get the party started that much earlier: pouring wine, offering appetizers, etc. I'm pretty organized so an early body or two wouldn't ruin the vibe.

One of my best friends and I are each others 'early guest'. Partially because we have very different social groups. We've known each other since we were 16, and enjoy hanging out but she is very active in her (fairly conservative) church and doesn't drink, whereas I am a godless liberal who likes to party the night away.

So we usually end up leaving each others parties fairly early, (there is only so long I can sit at an ice cream social where I'm not allowed to cuss, and she doesn't enjoy being around my drunken idiot friends).

But we do this more because we enjoy spending a little private time together to talk before everyone else gets there, and don't mind doing dirty work for each other. I'll help her make the salad, pick out her outfit, move the furniture, take out the trash, scrub behind the toilet bowl whatever needs to be done, and then leave unfashionably early once the real guests have arrived.

If you live in Miami, there is no such thing as an early guest. If your dinner party starts at 7:30, guests rarely arrive before 8.

Depends on if it's a casual gathering or a formal one. I had a guest arrive to a party once nearly an hour early and I was still in rollers and undies. It wasn't a close friend and it was a small apartment. Very awkward. Otherwise, these days, I entertain very casually and friends arrive when they arrive. Sometimes it's early and we have a drink or I give them some small task. Usually however, to cut down my anxiety level, I try to have everything ready about 30 minutes before I expect anyone and that gives me some winddown time to relax and destress before everyone arrives.

I'm inevitably running late when guests come over, so most people are used to the drill: quick peck on cheek, I direct boyfriend to play bartender, park guest on couch, urge kitties to look ultra-cute, set out hors d'oeuvre. Conversation ensues, as it's a small, open space. It works for most situations!

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But Travers, the fact that your guests are "being rude" in your eyes, does that justify your being rude right back? I think that would set a horrible tone for a dinner party, being told to wait outside.