The Gathering Home: Creating a Refuge of Goodness and Joy

by Emily Belle Freeman, Katie Hughes (Contributor), Jessica Kettle (Contributor)

Create. Gather. Give.
A Gathering home invites people in, instills a sense of belonging. It is an expression of love, the art of hospitality.
Inside The Gathering Home, you will find stories, ideas, and resources to help you plan intentional gatherings. Bring the Spirit of Christ into your everyday celebrations and seasonal gatherings for your family, friends, and neighbors. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, you can make your home a gathering home as you create the space, gather the people, and give your love.
You can find more ideas for your gathering home on Instagram @the.gatheringhome.

Genres: Parenting, Religion, Church, Inspirational, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published December 28, 2020

About the author

Emily Freeman and Simon Dewey collaborated on the bestselling book The Ten Virgins. For nearly 20 years, Emily has addressed groups of women as a writer, songwriter, and motivational speaker. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a strong desire to find their application in modern-day life. Emily and her husband, Greg, are the parents of four children and live in Lehi, Utah.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit disapointed; there is some great information here - but just a little bit. The vast majority of this book are journal/planning pages for events. Only just over 100 pages of text and half of that is pictures. Still worth the read, but very expensive to buy for the price.

[Becca Staker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't have as much information or as many ideas as I was hoping from its size, but it did inspire me to be more intentional about the memories we make in our home.

[Kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read (skimmed) this because I just bought a house and my friend recommended it. It's basically a month by month idea book of traditions and events. Most of which cost money, and involve inviting the whole neighborhood over. If you like Deseret Book fluff, you'll probably like this, but for me, it was a pass.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! It's a feel good book that promotes intentionality in the gatherings and the culture we create within our homes.

A large chunk of the book is a workbook/written guide to create your own plans for gathering so don't be deceived by its large size.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you'd really like this book if you want a few good seasonal gathering ideas, if you grew up privileged with lots of great memories of fun family traditions, if you live on a suburban cul-de-sac, if you have extra money and like to spend it on events, if you are an extrovert, if you have young children or close-by grandchildren, and if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you are currently a depressed introvert with grown children, some of whom have chosen unbelief, and if you are a little worried about gathering during the ongoing pandemic, you probably won't like this book as much. It does paint a nice, ideal picture of possible ways to gather.

My husband is stake Sunday School president. We received this as a Christmas gift from our stake president and his wife along with all the other "presidents" in the stake. It's a very nice gift. I don't think I'd have purchased it. Seems a little pricey. I am grateful for their thoughtful gift. It gave me something to read this afternoon during the hour my husband was having a meeting.

It's a super quick read. The first half of the book is words and representative pictures. The second half is more like a planner that you can use to implement the suggestions. I'd already heard some of Sister Freeman's stories from her "Don't Miss This" weekly devotionals. I don't super resonate with her, but she seems like a very nice, faithful woman. The other authors helped with gathering ideas and suggestions. For me, there aren't a lot of new ideas in this one.

Also, I'm still pondering how I feel about the idea of people using religious faith to make money. I'm sure that's a complex issue.

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book with good ideas and lots of planning pages at the end. I need to get over my reluctance to write in it and use the planning pages to create some new traditions. I want our home to be a place our family loves to be, despite the fact that it would be nice if we had more space.

[Rebecca D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the thought of being more intentional in creating traditions and memories with your family and friends and I appreciated the stories shared about what that looks like for Emily.

[John Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I felt inspired by great ideas for elevating our family celebrations and gatherings.

Here's a favorite quote:

"From the beginning of time , God sought to teach His people how to welcome . “ Thou shalt not oppress a stranger : for ye know the heart of a stranger , seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt ” ( Exodus 23 : 9 ) . It’s a simple verse hidden in a chapter that lays out the law of godly conduct . You will know how to love the sojourners because you have been an outcast yourself . Your heart understands the need for inclusion , for gathering in . You understand because you have felt unwanted before . It was a law of hospitality , a code , defined in the pages of Old Testament scripture : Never allow someone to feel unwelcome . It was Abraham welcoming strangers after a long journey ( see Genesis 18 ) . It was a woman drawing water for a stranger at the well ( see Genesis 24 ) . It was the preparing of a bed and a candlestick and a table for a prophet who continually passed by ( see 2 Kings 4 : 8 – 10 ) . These stories are the living out of the hospitality code . Jesus taught of it again in the New Testament : “ For I was an hungred , and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty , and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger , and ye took me in ” ( Matthew 25 : 35 ) . Hospitality is a higher way of living . It’s having the eyes to see someone as they are and to look for and give what they lack . It’s not offering a coat to someone who is thirsty ; Jesus taught that if someone is hungry , we should meet them in their hunger . The hospitality code is as simple as this : Look at the heart . Assess the need . Offer what you have . Always ."

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #3 of 2025 (This one is another short one.... it's not really a book, more of a guide.)

I read this book cover to cover in one day. It is both inspiring and practical. It's filled with quotes, scriptures, and specific ideas for gatherings that I'm sure I'll reference in the future. I love the main concept of the book: that we can create refuges of goodness and joy in our homes by finding the sacred in everyday routines and traditions. My only problem with the book is that I wish there were even more content in the ideas about celebrations for each month and creating sacred moments in the everyday. The planning pages in the back are nice, but I would rather have more of the authors' ideas and tips than anything.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first bit is quite lovely. What is the Christian virtue of hospitality and how do we embody it while not getting caught up in perfectionism? I wish it had spent longer staying in the philosophical, even while I appreciate the Pinterest-esque suggestions for gatherings you could hold and how to prepare for them. I guess that tension--how do you stay welcoming, and show people they are special to you, without driving them or yourself crazy by trying to get every detail magazine-ready?--is really interesting to me, even from a theological standpoint. Hospitality is a mode of showing love, and like all attempts to show love, there are many ways to misjudge or have your intentions slip away from the honorable.

[Camille Hoffmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quick read. I loved the beginning thoughts, and it definitely had an impact on me. There are little changes I could make and attention to detail in my home and traditions that can have a huge impact; and it definitely gave me some things to think about and ideas to try. I just wish there had been more ideas, and more variety! A lot of big gathering ideas, which is fun every once in awhile, but not something I want to organize all the time ;). But still worth the read IMO!

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of neat ideas in this book. I do wish that there were more ideas that involved healthy foods, rather than so many junk food options. I also wish the book were formatted better for Kindle--the sample planning pages (and in particular the examples throughout the book) are very hard to read via the Kindle app.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. There were some interesting new to me ideas about gathering, but much of the suggested gatherings do not really fit my situation which is okay. I would have liked more of the gathering/hospitality ideas fleshed out a bit more.

[Jodie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything I want to be!

[Hannah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book with some great ideas. I wish there were more ideas for various gatherings, but overall a really great read!

[Inspiration Station · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book with ideas for gathering friends and family together during the different seasons/months of the year. Includes planning pages in the back.

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved each idea put forth in this book on how to make your home one of celebration!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book with ideas for monthly celebrations. A fun short read

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas

[Kristi Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This is a very quick read and has some good ideas in it. But half the book is planning pages so you don’t really get as many ideas as it appears you would from a book that size.

[Sammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ideas how to gather family and others. Not super profound but some good ideas!

[Cassie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Love all the ideas for monthly family fun.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loves this book! Very sweet and beautiful with lots of good ideas for each month to help gather as a family and create memories.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting or hoping for, but it was okay. There were a few intriguing ideas that I might try sometime.