Making your Christmas Guest welcome
Guests for Christmas are guests who may be away from their family, or simply family members who live far away. The things they will miss about Christmas are the home comforts that they are accustomed to. When they move into their room in your home, in the festive season, make it as welcoming as you are able, letting them know that it isn't a compromise to put them up for the holidays, but that their presence for the celebration of Christmas is very welcome. That always gets things off to a good start.
The room should be decorated carefully, so that it isn't overdone. If you make the bed area nice and snug, and put out towels which match the room, that always looks nice, but Christmas means more than that. Hang decorations above the artwork in the room, being sure that this is seasonal without overplaying the event. They may feel overwhelmed if you decorate it to such an extent that they feel stifled.
If you have an elderly relative or friend staying, try letting them have a night light, so that they can find their way easily in strange surroundings. These little glow lights may not be seasonal but they do add a little warmth to the atmosphere of a strange room and give them the comfort of knowing that they won't fall over things in the middle of the night.
For festive themes for the guest bedroom, why not indulge in some nice things such as somefestive guest soapsin a dish with little bits of tinsel to make them look pretty. It's the little touches which people notice the most. Even if these are home made, they will show that you took the time to make their room special.
If you have a seasonal quilt you can use for the bed, this always looks nice and inviting, coupled with pillows and cushions in colors that go well together. The dark greens and reds of Christmas are favorites. If you know their slipper size, why not add slippers in seasonal colors beside the bed, so that they feel right at home. A red and a dark green towel will also blend in particularly well.
On the table beside the bed, a small table decoration always looks nice. Try to create something simple but also inviting. Something as simple as poinsettias look great, but what you could make is a small decoration which includes greenery and baubles. On the leaves of apoinsettia,you could write welcome using snow spray.
The guest who stays for Christmas will feel more welcome for the festivities if they are included. Hang a stocking at the end of their bed in an empty state, and then fill this with goodies as the Christmas arrives. If there is no room for this on the bed end, then this can be pinned to a string on the wall as a decoration and later taken down and stuffed with goodies on Christmas day.
The room should be sufficiently warm to greet them, but also allow them the added advantage of being able to air the room. Not everyone likes too much heat, and older people may need more. If you have scraps of wool, why not knit a seasonal hot water bottle cover, and place this beside the bed so that they have the opportunity to use it if the need arises.
The guest room should be tidy and clean, and during the tidying up process, this gives you a chance to assess all the possibilities. For adults, perhaps a night light with a Christmas scene may be nice, while for children, safe decorations should always be considered. Many Christmas items are nursery friendly such as night lights, paper decorations and tinsel placed high enough so that the child can see it but not play with it. Above a crib for example, you could plate a mobile with seasonal things such as snowmen.
It sounds like a lot of work, but the areas to look at are the bedroom itself and the en suite if you have one. In the en suite, seasonal baubles will look nice, but so will bottles with bright colors, and soaps and shampoos picked out specially for those guests.
When the room is all ready, top it off with a welcome basket, which could include healthy snacks such as fruit, but also home made sweets or cookies that they can have when they feel peckish. Next to this, perhaps you can also add notelets so that they can sit down in their spare time and write their thank you notes with the family after the Christmas packages are all open.
What your guest needs is a comfortable bed, but at Christmas they need more than that. They need to feel they are not treading on ice. They need to know they are not intruding and are welcome. By making extra effort with the preparation of their room, they get to feel the warmth of the family before they even unpack. That's what Christmas is all about, and as they look around their room, they will feel welcome and know that their fears of staying in someone else's house for Christmas were unfounded. That's when Christmas fun begins, and they can unwind and relax.
It's important that guests feel welcome, and by taking the extra time to prepare their room, you will have made the signals of welcome very clear indeed. The decorations are the icing on the cake, though the fact that you are willing to share your home with them is the main ingredient. No matter how humble your home, it's easy to spread warmth and welcome without spending a fortune.
