I’m attending a birthday party next week in a shoe-free home. The invitation warns all guests of this in advance, and has playfully suggested that we come in “clean socks!”

Of course, I have no problem with this, but I’m wondering what you guys think. A lot of people ask guests to remove their shoes at the entrance these days. For one thing, it’s much easier to keep the floors clean this way, which is important if the hosts have a young child or crawling baby.

Keeping a home shoe-free is also a great idea if people living in the space plan to do yoga with face-down postures in the living room carpet. Additionally, removing street shoes at the door is in keeping with the practices of many religious traditions, Japanese and Hawaiian cultures, and with anyone who considers the home a sanctuary or “sacred space.” Standing with feet on the ground, without the barrier of a shoe, represents being humbled and fully present.

It was God, afterall, who said “Moses, take off your shoes for the place you are standing is Holy Ground.”

Do you have a shoe-free home? How do you manage this? How do your guests respond?