I learned this lesson many years ago. As a result, I’m very selective about who joins my campaigns. One-shots are less selective though.

Damn! You’ve cracked the code. The secret is out!

Sounds like the beginning of a great adventure that will make for a great story.

To the delight or concern of the players?

Being the “Forever DM” is not the curse that everyone makes it out to be. Crafting stories, challenges, and entertaining encounters for you and your players is very rewarding. I know from experience.

100% agree.

Praise them for using their abilities to their fullest effect. Reward them for defeating a foe.
Remember, there is nothing wrong with the characters mopping the floor with an enemy. It is fun to feel like John Wick in a room full of minions.

A charismatic southern gentleman who is actually a con artist and his southern gentleman bit is nothing but an act.

Ah the home game with inexperienced family. That brings back memories. I’d say keep the theme simple so they don’t get overwhelmed.
A personal favorite of mine is a frontier village on the edge of a dense forest is always under threat from monsters and politicians.

Coffee that strong would dissolve the spoon.

You have some great skill. Those are awesome!

The creation of a campaign concept should be a collaborative process. The question, “What game do y’all want to play next?” is basically the most simplistic form of this, work with your players to answer the key questions of the campaign concept.

I highly recommend the Discord server AltRole. Its whole existence is to be a welcoming space for new players who want to learn and play DnD.