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I get this question a lot: How do you make a house feel like home? Especially on holidays. If you’re a member of our Christmas Prep Club, you may have watched me discuss this with my mom during IGTV we shot together. I don’t remember the exact decorations or every gift I received. what i to do I remember my childhood home really felt like home, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I took most of what I learned from my mother to recreate that same magical feeling for my children. In today’s post, I want to share four of them.
1. Have a lovely front porch!
Let guests know they are welcome before they step foot in the door. A swept front porch, a happy wreath or doormat. Even front patio lighting so guests can find their way around in the evening. Small details can do a lot!
2. Create a cozy atmosphere with nice fragrances.
Smells and scents are powerful when it comes to forming memories. For Thanksgiving, that memory is often baked in—the smell of pumpkin pie out of the oven or roasted turkey. If you’re not a big baker or cook, no problem! There are lots of ready-made options that you can pop in the oven. I always stop by Festival Kitchen in Dallas to stock up on frozen cookie dough and hors d’oeuvres that I can pop in the oven at the last minute. For Christmas, I love adding fresh pine wreaths and garlands to my decor. You can even glue fresh pine branches to give more life to your faux wreaths and garlands. Or if you’re like me and you love holiday candles, find someone you really like (this is NEST Holiday candle is a personal favourite) and lights up every year during the holidays.
3. Stock up on a plentiful kitchen.
Food is comforting and a godsend for those who don’t have to prepare or buy it! You don’t need to be a great cook to have a lavish kitchen. A full pantry for the Christmas holidays lets kids and guests know you’ve been carefully prepared for them. I also like to have things that I can easily pull out to provide last minute sustenance for my loved ones. My mom makes salted walnuts, but you can order too. killer walnuts to put it out when the neighbors come. A cheese board especially if you stock up on cheese, crackers, cornichons, dried fruit, spiced walnuts, and nuts (love Trader Joe’s for all that!). One of my holiday apps (easy!) FIG jam. Divine!
4. Be organized with love.
No one expects perfection, but it is a very thoughtful gesture to show care and preparation before a guest arrives. Start thinking now whether you need to make room in the cloakroom closet for holiday gatherings, freshen up your powder bath hand towels (we have lots of cute towels. Hostess Gift Guide!), or you may need new sheets for your guest room. If your family will be staying with you, add a few magazines or books to your guest bedroom for them to read at night. small details it means a lot and goes a long way in making someone feel comfortable in your home. Helpful tip: Consider making a checklist on your phone for things to do before guests arrive – this will keep you from getting confused at the last minute!
5. Be courteous in words and actions.
A reader of mine once told me that she has negative feelings about the holidays because her mother is always very stressed. It really stuck with me! We can do all this prep work, but if we are constantly stressed or agile, people will walk away, not towards our home. There is wisdom in planning the holiday season so that we can be joyful with our families and guests.
We’ll share more tips as we head into the holiday season. At the end of the day, we all want to create special memories for our families and friends, and most of them start at home. I hope these tips help you prepare for all the upcoming hosting and holidays!
flower arrangement Claire Rathbun.
lee
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