Well I bet by now that many of you are getting your houses dressed up for the holiday season, wrapping, baking, singing Christmas songs at the top of your lungs along with Amy Grant, or maybe James Taylor (may I take this moment to suggest two of my new iTunes favorites of the season .... "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" by Christopher Cross - AND "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" by Kimberley Locke -great additions to my "holiday hall of fame" scads of ....and I mean you have no idea Christmas collection of music!
I've allowed myself this next week to get the house ready for all of the upcoming Christmas festivities. I won't do the baking until 14 minutes before our kids and my parents arrive (for obvious reasons....) However, one thing that I just absolutely LOVE to do is get the guest-rooms ready for our impending guests. I've always been the type of person that cannot enter a model home from the garage. If forced to do so, I try not to notice anything in the house as I scurry to the front door so I can make a proper assessment! I view our guest-rooms much the same way. I try to put myself in "guest mode" and I go from there. So let me tell you about some of the things that I do when preparing our guest-rooms.
-Fresh 100% cotton linens (don't use your older linens for your guest-room, buy linens specifically for your guest-rooms.... and leave it that way) -- The only time I iron pillowcases is for our guest-rooms. I also use a light lavender linen or "clean cotton" spray on the linens. I wait until a day or two before guests arrive to prepare the room so everything is fresh smelling and clean.
-Extra pillows on the bed and in the closet (my husband and I sleep with 6 pillows on our bed, he'd prefer more, but I had to put my foot down) .... there is nothing worse than arriving at a hotel or friends house and you only have 2 dead, flat, foam pillows that you stack on top of each other to raise your head two inches! I use an assortment of down and really really nice foam... that way they can choose if they have allergies.
- a full set of new fluffy towels in each guest-room. I also make sure there are extra blankets in the closet.
-My favorite thing to put in the guest-room is a large basket that contains current magazines and assorted paperbacks (I'm sure to mention that the paperbacks are for them to choose from and to feel free to take one or two home with them) I also put several bottles of water, some granola bars, and little packages of crackers or trail mix in the basket. Guests ALWAYS comment on the water and snacks and how convenient it was for them if they got hungry or thirsty during the night.
-I purchase nice smelling small soaps that are individually wrapped. Then, just before our guests arrive, I put a new wrapped soap in the shower soap-dish. I also have a basket on the counter in the guest bathroom that has assorted rolled up washcloths along with an assortment of body butter and body lotion (in the summer months I also include sun screen.)
-We have a large comfortable chair in the guest-room with a throw and pillow so that if our guests wake up early or need some alone time, they can be comfortable in their own room. Make sure you provide good lighting for reading in the middle of the night, and an alarm clock.
-Empty some drawers and make sure you have ample room in the closet to hang clothes with nice (not wire) hangers. I have a little table inside the closet for guests to put their luggage on so they don't have to reach down to the floor to get what they need. A luggage rack would do nicely.
-Fresh flowers are always nice. I usually purchase a couple of bouquets, then I make a nice larger one for the main living area and I make a smaller one in a little vase for the guest-room.
-This last suggestion certainly is not necessary and may be "overboard" but I love to do it anyway. I go to a "chocolatier" in town a day or two before guests arrive and select 4 or 6 chocolates or truffles to be put in a fancy little box with ribbon. This is not as expensive as it sounds and the guests always exclaim in delight when they come across the chocolates which I leave on their bed so it's obvious that they are for them.... they say it makes them feel like they are staying in a 5 star hotel!
and well...........that was my goal!!
Have fun decorating and fussing!!
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