When you were in elementary school, did you ever imagine there would be a time when you were too busy to eat? Doubtful. With the perfect combination of food and friends, lunch was every kid’s favorite class. Fast-forward to your demanding adult lifestyle, and you’ve likely found that setting aside the time to eat often falls to the bottom of an overflowing to-do list. While cultures around the world make family, social, and sit-down meals a priority, the North American rat-race mentality has led to isolated meals on the go. To combat this epidemic, pair the daily necessity for food with healthy human connections by adding weekly or monthly social dine-ins to the top of your priority list. To spend time connecting with family and friends this holiday season and throughout the year, just pull up a chair.

The Importance of Dinner So why is dinner so important? For children, it’s about development. For adults, it’s about social connections. For our bodies, it’s about good nutrition. In the long run, we all benefit from time at home spent preparing, eating, and participating in our meals. Make social dinners a priority for the children in your life. An annual study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reveals that more frequent family dinners and “parental engagement” around the dinner table result in less drug use by children and young adults.

Finding the Time Realistically, many working individuals and families don’t have time to make every night a sit-down extravaganza; start by setting just one day per week or month to connect with family or friends over an in-home meal. If cooking isn’t your forte, don’t fret. “Dinner is about intention much more than perfection,” writes Laurie David in her comprehensive book The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time. You can use a foolproof family recipe—or even purchase takeout—as long as you eat it around the dinner table.

Family Dinner While social dinners offer something for everyone, family dinners remain a significant tool for connection and a key way to develop children’s life skills. David recommends creating one or more theme days in the week to incite enthusiasm from every family member. Try Taco Tuesday or Finger-Food Friday. Turn the evening (or morning if you enjoy weekend brunch) into a celebration by folding napkins into unique shapes, adding fruit to a pitcher of water, and turning on music. If conversation lags, think ahead about news stories or topics of conversation to help bridge generation gaps. You can even employ your smartphone for inspiration just before coming to the dinner table. Yes, there’s even an app for that.