Atmosphere

green and red christmas wreath on door — Photo by Matej on Pexels.com

Christmas is a time for families and friends to get together which means a lot of guests and visiting going on. I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you create a welcoming atmosphere when you have guests arriving.

Make sure the entrance way and hall are free from clutter. Easy ways to do this are to have a designated place for shoes, boots, coats and other outdoor accessories (like umbrellas). If needs be, move items to bedrooms just for that period of time. Clear mail as it arrives, put junk mail into the recycling bin, bills and other items can be stored neatly in a file or box elsewhere in the house.
Make sure the house is warm, not too hot or cold but at a temperature where if you are wearing a thin cardi or jumper that it feels comfortable.
Keep tv volume down, or turn it off completely and play some background music quietly instead.
Light candles, choose a scented one to fill your home with a lovely scent and add a few unscented ones to create relaxing pools of light.
If possible, light your home with lamps and festive lights instead of glaring ceiling lights. This will create a lovely warm atmosphere.
If you know when your guests are arriving make sure the kettle has been filled and boiled so that you can quickly make your guests drinks and spend less time waiting for the kettle to boil away from them.
If you are serving wine or other drinks make sure they are cooled and have ice already made. Put the glasses out ready to serve the drinks in.
If you want to serve snack items, such as peanuts, mixed nuts and dried fruits or chocolates, place in small bowls and dot them about the room in easy to reach places like on window sills or on the coffee table.
Plump up any cushions you may have on sofas, shake out any blankets or rugs and re-fold them, brush down the seats of the sofa to make them look neat and tidy.
If you have magazines or other items out, if possible put them away or stack them neatly so they are not in the way of guests who may want to put drinks down.
When your guests arrive, greet them at the door, take their coats (and shoes) and hang up, offer them a beverage and show them through to the main room you will be using.