Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Open House With Open Heart...



The Hari Raya mood is still in the air. Open house is every where and every day. What type of food you wish to eat you just name it sure you get it...so tasty so delicious. Today there were three invitations for an open house since morning till night, from breakfast to dinner, Alhamdulillah be grateful to Allah for all the bountiful food.

By the way...in celebrating the eidulfitri we need to consider the concept of moderation. We should eat moderately even though all our favourite food is right in front of us. We should understand that in this month of syawal not only to consider the food to eat but we also need to consider the food for thought...something to think about seriously...especially in term of our health.

Open House has become a culture in our society lately. In organizing the open house, making an arrangement is very important. We need some good tips so that it will be a memorable and successful one and the most importantly it always be blessed by Allah then only it becomes an ibadah and not just a tradition:

Things to consider during the Pre-Open House:
  • Identify the most suitable date and time
  • The expected number of guests
  • The type of food and drink to be served (delicious but healthy-halalan toyyibban)
  • Allocation of "duit raya" for the kids as sodaqoh is a good source of fertilizer for our wealth.

During the Open House:

  • Greet and welcome the guests. Shake hands if necessary (avoid illegal handshakes).
  • Make sure the food, drink, plates, glasses, spoons, forks, chairs and etc. are all enough for all the guests.
  • Make sure the guests feel comfortable being attended in your house.
  • Behave and talk nicely to the guests and avoid touching any sensitive issues.
  • If the guests are about to leave your home make sure you are ready with the "duit raya", apologize and thank them for coming.

Post-open House:

  • Clean and clear up immediately
  • If there is some leftover we must know how to dispose it without wasting it
  • Do some reflections for an improvement

As a final remark, do an open house with the open heart...you will be blessed insyaAllah, Ameen