Be prepared: party guests may need to sleep over.
Toiletries, towels, fresh bedding at hand keep fuss to a minimum
The doorbell rings unexpectedly. A friend dips too far into the vino. A family member can’t catch a cab due to the impending snow-pocalypse outside.
Guests come and go during the holiday season, but sometimes they stay a little longer than intended. Being unprepared for an unplanned sleepover, especially with New Year’s Eve just around the corner, can be scarier than those extraterrestrial-looking 2013 glasses everyone will surely be wearing.
Shelley Cronin, interior designer for Cosafina (10508 109 St.), says keeping your home tidy and stocked up on certain necessities can help prepare your home for unexpected guests.
“You want it to be comfortable, welcoming. Basically, make them feel at ease so you don’t have to wait on them hand and foot,” Cronin says.
Creating the right ambience is also key to keeping your anxiety levels to a minimum and making a guest’s stay enjoyable.
In anticipation for the holiday season, Dansk Gifts (334 Southgate Centre) owner Stasia Nawrocki recommends prepping the guest bedroom with basic necessities such as fresh linens, extra blankets and fluffed pillows. Clean out dressers and closets to free up space for their things.
Bring out a basket of slippers — Nawrocki always brings back extras from her hotel stays — and keep them in the corner of the room. In addition, arrange little snacks such as chocolate and nuts on a table in case your guests start feeling a bit munchy.
Nawrocki also suggests making sure your home smells good by using air fresheners or air deodorizers, such as Lampe Berger oil, which was developed in France over 100 years ago for hospitals to kill odour causing bacteria.
You can also add fresh florals to various rooms, especially the guest bedroom.
Greenery, such as cedar and pine, last a long time and work well as a base for floral arrangements.
“Spend a few minutes and go through your house as if you were a guest or if it wasn’t your house,” Nawrocki says of her prepping method. “Look at it as if it was someone else’s eyes.”
If you know you’ll be entertaining someone specific over the holidays, think about their likes and interests. If they enjoy fashion, arrange a few fashion magazines on a nightstand. If they enjoy scotch, set out a crystal decanter and some glasses. And if they’re from out-of-town, provide them with a few information packets on the city.
These little things can leave a big impression. “There’s nothing people remember more than surprise,” Nawrocki says.
In the guest bathroom, both Cronin and Nawrocki suggest laying out fresh towels and putting together a basket of toiletries. You can even tie these items with ribbons and bows to give them a festive feel.
“I’ve been in homes where people have little wrapped soaps and things like that in the bathroom for them to use and special towels laid out, so it feels like it’s just for them,” Cronin says. “Sometimes you travel and, if you’ve flown, you can’t take shampoo and things like that, so make sure you have razors, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste — basic necessities just in case.”
Nawrocki says an extra hair dryer and hair brush are also a guest bathroom must-have.
The living room and kitchen can also be prepped for holiday guests. Nawrocki suggests setting the table if you know your guests are going to stay for dinner, even going so far as to set out little name tags on the plates. Keep some nibbly snacks, such as bread and cheeses, in the fridge and stock your freezer with premade meals.
“There’s nothing worse than a stressed hostess,” Nawrocki says. “It’s good to cook ahead and have them prepared or chilled so all you have to do is quickly fry it or put it in the oven.”
Cronin says another nice house guest feature is a kitchen beverage bar. “Just so they feel at ease so you don’t have to be offering all the time,” she says. “They can do it for themselves if they want. Coffee, tea, water, whatever.”
Overall, though, Nawrocki says there’s nothing worse than a stressed-out hostess. Although prepping your home for guests will definitely soothe some nerves, getting too caught up in the details can also ruin the experience.
“Don’t get stressed over little things, because (guests) won’t remember that. They will remember that you spent some quality time with them.”