Are you hosting family and friends during the holidays this year? Naturally, you want to make them feel welcome from the moment they arrive.  All of a sudden the busiest spot in your home isn’t the kitchen; it’s the foyer. Before your guests arrive, think through what they will be wearing and carrying so you can provide a clean, functional space to help get them settled in quickly. This chore shouldn’t take more than 35 minutes.


Winter weather for the #holidays






In most regions of America, the weather outside is frightful for the holidays. Your guests arrived bundled up in winter coats, boots, gloves, scarves and hats. And more often than not, their hands are full of food, drinks and gifts.  A good hostess needs to help eliminate the awkward bottle neck that happens, most especially in small entryways and foyers. 




Empty their hands:

Provide a clean spot for guests to empty their hands. We have bookcase adjacent to our foyer, allowing guests to sit some items on the top. If several guests will be arriving at the same time, I put out a card table, cover it with a festive table cloth. I make sure I'm right there to greet guests and take items from them. If I'm needed in another area, I ask my daughter's or husband's to be our official greeter. 


Make room for coats in your foyer closet




Take their coats: 

Make room for guests’ coats by cleaning out your foyer closet before they arrive. Take as many of your families coats out as you can and store them in a spare closet or place them on your bed. Be sure to have extra strong hangers on hand for heavy leather and wool coats. If you don’t have a foyer closet, consider purchasing a coat tree. 




Collect and store accessories:

Store  winter accessories



Next, take all their gloves, scarves, hats and mittens and place them in a large storage basket or container you can place on a shelf in the closet until needed again. If time allows, keep each guests items together by rolling gloves or mittens loosely in their scarf, or store all of their items inside their hat.




Take off Shoes:

If your home is a no shoes please zone (and it should be whenever possible to decrease incoming dirt), provide a place for your guests to sit down to take off their shoes. This is especially important for senior guests who may not be able to bend down comfortably to untie shoes or pull off boots. Pull up an extra chair or ottoman, or purchase a pretty and functional bench that can be moved easily to offer extra seating throughout your home as needed.




Shoe holding station:

Since your guests are taking off winter weather shoes and boots, make sure you have a designated space for them to place them. By keeping guests shoes in one place, you can minimize dirt and grime marring your floors or their footwear. Put down an all-weather rug near the front door and ask guests to line up their footwear on it. If it’s snowy in your area, you may want to go a step further and purchase a shallow basin large enough to hold several sets of boots and shoes.



By taking the time to prep your foyer now, you will ensure your guests get settled in your home quickly, removing any awkwardness for your guests or the hostess, which puts everyone at ease so you can enjoy the festivities.




From our home to yours, we wish you a happy, safe and festive Thanksgiving!


Please share in comments: What area of your home do you struggle to keep tidy during the holidays?
  
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