11/27/2014

Learn how not to make holiday preparations into a nightmare

The last month of the year is the time of preholiday fuss with home decoration, menu preparation, gifts and other things. However, it is also a period of agitation and even stress. Endless queues and crowds everywhere, long shopping lists and can throw off even the most self-controlled people.

And after the holidays pass you realize that you more fussed than enjoyed. Therefore, the storage service SafeSpace decided to take care of its dear customers and prepared useful tips on preparing for the upcoming holidays.

Hasteless preparation and sound planning

Take the time to sit quietly and think over what you expect from the upcoming holidays. Take a notebook and make a list, in a few days study it once again to see what can be omitted. Postpone everything you are not able to do until the end of this year, preferring the real goals. Be honest with yourself. For example, you want to renew your room, though it’s not the time to make repairs. Then, there are several interesting details of decoration that can change the room for the better.

You should clearly understand how much time you can spend and do not try to jump over your head, so as not to suffer from fatigue as a result. Remember that friends and family will appreciate the time spent with you and fond memories, but not extravagant decorations, new carpets or exotic dishes on the holiday table. The advice seems simple but it is not so easy to fulfill it: the main thing is to say ‘stop’ from time to time and do not forget to look at yourself from the outside.

Make your home ready for the holidays

Every new year brings us new opportunities, plans and meetings, something fresh and unexplored. Everyone wants to enter the year with pure thoughts and cozy home. Therefore, decoration and renovation are important.

The first thing you should pay attention to – how much your home is cluttered. Surprisingly, over time we stopped paying attention to how the things capture your home.

1.    Start with the hall: on the rack, there are usually too many things – put summer and in-between-season clothes into the closet. If you do not have enough space for the things at home you can always rent self storage for a while.

2.    Then take a look at vertical surfaces in the house: piles of papers and magazines on the tables, empty and half-empty bottles in the bathroom, kitchen gadgets on the counters and window sills – do not hesitate to get rid of unnecessary stuff.

3.    Having cleared the space, do not try to immediately fill it again with decorative elements. Put Christmas garlands or bells on the door, make a small composition in the center of the dining table, and put some beautiful candles on the buffet or fireplace.

Decorating the house, do not forget about security: if there are small children or animals you’d better replace real candles with LED ones, for example. Moreover, you should avoid items with small or fragile parts.

Here are some other useful tips that will help you to safely prepare for the holidays:

• If you cannot avoid repairing then pay attention to those areas that will be visible to your guests.
• If you live in your own house or going to a country house for the New Year then there is an excellent and very easy way to improve its appearance – change the light bulbs above the door and in the yard to brighter ones.
• New and fresh towels and soap can significantly alter your bathroom. If you want to add something else you can install new lamps or mirrors.
• Pay attention to safety by inspecting your home from the visitors’ perspective: are there any doors which you always stumble upon; whether the floor tile, curtains and mirrors are fixed well.
• If you plan to invite a large number of guests, it is better to send furniture which you can do without for temporary storage.
• If you have a fireplace then check the screen and remember how long have you cleaned the chimney.

The key is to decide what you can do yourself and use your relatives and friends. Do not try to boil the ocean and remember that it is your holiday, as well.

Warm atmosphere in a warm house

One of the important conditions for a good mood during the long winter holidays is warm atmosphere and warm weather at home.

Under-floor heating

If there is under-floor heating in your house then it will be a pleasant environment even in the coldest winter days. Imagine how nice it is to come home after a walk and walk barefoot, or sit quietly in the evening on the floor in front of the fireplace.
If you do not have such facilities, it does not mean that you should install it immediately and turn the house upside down before the holidays. You can solve the problem in other ways.

Carpets

A cozy carpet is one of the best options. And it not only makes the house warmer but also improves the interior. The main thing is to think about where you want to put it: the best choice would be your living room where the whole family gathers and where you take your guests. When choosing a carpet always keep in mind where it will be used: soft carpets with high pile are more suitable for bedrooms because any traces and stains are clearly visible on them; carpets with low pile is the right choice for a living room; if it’s a textured carpet in addition, then it’s perfect for a hall.  

Mats and rugs

If you do not like carpets in the house or there is laminate or wood flooring, then you can get a small rug. They not only warm you physically but also create an appropriate atmosphere. Especially beautiful are shaggy rugs in a living room or bamboo – in a kitchen. When spring comes, small rugs can always be sent to self storage.

There are other ways to make your house warm and cozy, as well: buy an electric fireplace, install vinyl windows (if you have not done it already), paint the radiators dark, put the screen of foil between the wall and the radiator, put an extra door or insulate an available one. Finally, call your friends, make glogg and enjoy a warm conversation.