Tidings of comfort and joy!
If you aren’t in the Christmas spirit yet, it might be time to get motivated because it is coming whether we are ready or not. If you can avoid the repetitive ad campaigns and keep focused on the importance of this season you can come out of this holiday refreshed and hopefully in good financial shape! It’s about the little things that make the season bright.
I have a dear friend who is a seasonal junkie and I am convinced that it enhances her experience of each holiday. She uses colour and unique flavor to celebrate the good things about each and every special time of year and it is such fun to be a part of the experience.
Visiting her during Easter, Thanksgiving and Halloween is a true delight as she always has fantastic treats and special dishes in place to mark the season. It may just be a set of Christmas mugs to enjoy your favorite beverage or a new set of gorgeous napkins to set your table as you entertain family and friends – these are the small touches that make even an everyday occasion memorable.
My friend uses an abundance of colour to celebrate seasons, Thanksgiving is predominately orange and spice. Dishes, food, candles are all coordinated in a wonderful themed presentation. Her food is seasonally flavored right down to the coffee beans – it is all very joyous. Whenever I visit I feel like a valued guest at an executive hotel as I use the spiced soap and light the scented votives for my bath – it is like a small pumpkin spiced slice of heaven!
Accents do not have to be grand or expensive gestures; they just need a loving heart to arrange them. When you are entertaining this season, apply a little extra care to enhance their stay at your home. When I have overnight guests I stock a basket by their bed with fresh towels, their own bar of soap and foot cream.
I also line the basket with snacks or candies and a few bottles of water in case they aren’t comfortable roaming my house at night in search of a drink. I also keep slippers under the dresser in case anyone needs to warm up their toes. My mom used to do this for me when I would visit and it was such a treat!
Even though I was perfectly at home foraging for snacks when I was visiting it was such a delight to have a basket of cookies and various things to nosh on while I was in my room in the evening , another hotel experience.
Small, inexpensive items with repetitive themes or colours which are artfully arranged will make a large visual impact. A thermos of hot water set aside with a teacup and a few assorted tea bags will invite your guests to pour themselves a cup whenever the mood strikes without having to ask their hostess. You probably have several elements already in your possession that you can arrange and present to guests which will make them feel extra special.
Give yourself and your guests a treat this season, work on a few personal and seasonal ‘extras’ for people in your life that you care about and enjoy the glow that I guarantee will follow in you AND in them!
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Feel free to contact her at 343-7711 ext 227, email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com or join her facebook group called “Ask a Designer”
