As the holidays quickly approach, guests and families may be descending on your home to share in holiday dinners and festivities. Of course you want your home to be as warm and inviting as possible. Besides your typical holiday decorating, there are many other ways to help get your home ready for the holidays. Here are a few suggestions..
- Reduce the clutter. There will be inevitable cleaning that will have to happen once the guests leave, but you can help reduce the time spent cleaning by removing as much clutter as possible before the guests arrive.
- Stash breakable items away if there will be a lot of children visiting. Nothing can make a holiday more awkward than when a guests child breaks that fragile heirloom you like to display.
- Keep coffee table books or stylish photographic magazines handy for discussion topics when there’s a lull in the conversation.
- Use throws over your couches and chairs to help protect from the occasional spills or food stains that always seem to happen. You can also treat fabric covered furniture with protective spray such as Scotchgard.
- Dress up your front door. This will be the first experience they have as guests arrive at your home. Wreaths or other decorations can help create a warm environment right from the start.
- Keep your home at a comfortable temperature. While most likely it will be impossible to please everyone on this point, keeping it cooler and having throws and sweaters available might be the right way to go.
- Setting the lights a little softer sets a nice, calming mood during the holidays.
- Taping down area rugs can help prevent slipping especially if you will have kids running around in social areas.
- Provide cushions for folding chairs. Hard cold chairs won’t make guests feel very welcome.
- Add holiday touches to halls and bathrooms. Using decorative soap, nice hand towels, and good smelling candles will add an air of comfort for guests.
- Soft music is also a nice touch to add to the holiday spirit.
Saltillo tile is a durable, easy to clean flooring tile that originates from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Often used in homes that wish to achieve a Southwestern decor, the tile is long lasting and looks beautiful when installed properly. Since the tiles are created in an unglazed state, saltillo tile requires sealing to protect the tile since saltillo tile is naturally very porous and will absorb moisture easily. 
