by Karen Cleveland
Maybe I’m spoiled by my circle of friends, who never show up anywhere empty handed. They always have fabulous wine, beer or treats in tow.

One friend in particular was invited to a do at her co-worker’s home. She decided on a whim that despite not being terribly close to this colleague, she would attend.

The invite stated BYOB, but the host flagged that the crowd wasn’t really a party group. Heeding her advice, they brought some wine and beer figuring they’d have a drink or two (but not make a night of it, given the conservative crowd)

Well, it turns out that the crowd was actually more than happy to knock a few back – they just didn’t bring anything. Nothing. Nada.

My friends ended up not attending a BYOB party, but instead a BEEB [bring everyone else’s booze] party.

They barely had a sip of wine to themselves before their supply was depleted. The host wasn’t very experienced (are you out there? Read the archives!) so she didn’t know how to smooth things out (as in “haul-ass to the LCBO and stock up”), so instead my friends thanked the host for having them and sped off to hang out with a more civilized crowd.

If you’re a host: plan accordingly. Stock up. Have plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings, enough to top up a few glasses at least, or take care of a handful of guests that for whatever reason, show up empty handed.

If you’re the guest who went from BYOB to BEEB – suck it up and share. Then leave. On your way out, thank your host for having you. Remind them to call you if they need any help planning or stocking up for their next party. You’re, naturally, more than happy to help.