Make Your Home More Inviting This Holiday Season

December 21, 2018 by Jorge Lopez

Group of diverse people are gathering for christmas holiday
It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is already upon us. While this means different things for different households, many families use this as an opportunity to invite people into their homes and enjoy the company of loved ones. And if you’re going to host people in your house, you should make sure it’s warm and inviting.

7 Easy Ways to Make Holiday Guests Feel Welcome

Whether you’ll be hosting family for an extended period of time, or you’ll simply be having friends over for casual gatherings, there are some practical things you can do to make your guests feel more welcome in your home. Let’s explore a few of these tips and techniques.

1. Create a Welcoming Entrance

First impressions are very important. When a guest walks into your home, they’re going to naturally form an impression of your house and the way their stay will go. And though it’s impossible to alter a first impression later, it’s much better to start with a positive frame of mind.

Take some time to design an inviting entryway into your home. There should be some holiday-appropriate decorations, a place to hang bags and coats, as well as someone to greet people as they enter.

2. Make the House Smell Good 

Smell is one of the strongest scents (and something that people will notice as soon as they step foot into your home). While cooking will (hopefully) make your house smell good, there are also some other things you can do to create pleasant aromas – including a DIY peppermint spray that’s perfect for the Christmas season.

“The sweet and spicy smell of peppermint is an instant mood lifter,” home improvement expert Bob Vila explains. “Make your own homemade peppermint spray by adding about 20 drops of peppermint essential oil to 8 ounces of distilled water, then pour it into a spray bottle. Spritz the air, furniture, and draperies for a candy-cane fresh scent.”

3. Keep Overnight Guests Warm

Will you be housing overnight guests during the holidays? While this is a big responsibility, it doesn’t have to be something that’s painful and energy-depleting.

As a host, you have a responsibility to keep your guests warm, fed, and somewhat entertained. The first one often gets forgotten – especially if you’re someone who enjoys keeping the temperature cooler than average.

To make overnight guests comfortable, be sure to provide plenty of blankets and linens. If they have their own thermostat, you should show them how it works and encourage them to set it to their liking.

4. Get Rid of Clutter

Clutter is anything but welcoming to guests. While you want your house to look like it’s lived in, you don’t want it to appear as if you forgot you had people coming over. Spend some time walking around your home and try to pretend like you’re someone visiting for the first time. Is it easy to navigate? Are there useless items that can be removed from key walkways?

“An open layout that’s easy to navigate around is especially helpful for people who aren’t familiar with your home,” one home design blogger writes. “Make sure guests don’t have to trip over a toys or a pile of magazines just to sit at the couch. This is especially important in smaller homes where furniture and clutter quickly add up.” 

5. Play Soft Background Music

The hope is that all of your guests will get along well and that conversation will naturally flow. However, there are always moments in any holiday party where there are lulls in the conversation. Silence can be a mood killer, so have some soft background music playing. It’ll create a nice ambiance and put people in the mood.

6. Give Kids Something to Do

If you’re having an adults-only holiday party, you don’t have to think much about activities. Adults will entertain themselves with conversation. Children, on the other hand, need something to do. Otherwise, they’ll become bored and use their energy for things that are less than ideal.

If there will be children at your holiday hosting events, it’s smart to have a few activities to keep them entertained so that the adults can enjoy themselves. Here are some ideas:

  • If you have space in your home, try creating a kids-only room with games, craft tables, snacks, and holiday-themed goodies. Keeping kids contained in one place will allow you to spend less time worrying about the destruction they’re causing and more about your guests.
  • So long as you have someone who is willing to supervise, kids can be involved in the process of baking cookies. It’ll keep them busy and give them something to look forward to after dinner.
  • If you have a TV room that’s out of the way of the rest of the party, put on some holiday movies and provide kids with popcorn.
  • If you’re blessed to have warm holiday weather, throwing the kids out in the backyard with footballs, soccer balls, and other outdoor activities is a great way to help them burn off energy.

This isn’t to say children can’t also mingle with the adults, but it’s nice to have options. When the kids are happy, so are the parents.

7. Relax and Enjoy the Company

Don’t get so stressed out over your hosting duties that you forget to enjoy the company of your friends and family. Nothing puts a guest more at ease than feeling like the host is having a good time. By preparing food ahead of time, you can spend less time worrying about cooking and more time mingling with people.

Happy Holidays From Green Residential

From our team at Green Residential, we’d like to wish an early Happy Holidays to all of our past, present, and future clients. The city of Houston means so much to us, and it’s our hope that the next few weeks will be spent in the company of good family and friends. If we can help you with any of your real estate needs in the new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

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