5 Ways to Practice Hospitality - Sondra Lyn at Home

*This post is sponsored by BISSELL, but as usual the written content is my own. (Please note: This promotion has ended)

This is the season when more people visit friends and family in one another’s homes than at any other time of year! Chances are you are either hosting at least one gathering, or will be attending one in someone else’s home.

Hospitality is such a wonderful God-given gift. It is much-prized here in the South, and Southerners are generally well-known for their hospitality. But I have traveled many places in this great land of ours, and found that this gift is not as regional as you might think. When our daughter lived in New York City, we found New Yorkers to be very friendly and welcoming. We have lived in Kansas, and absolutely loved its people… and still stay in touch with many of them, even though it was years ago that we lived there. This is what the dictionary has to say about hospitality:

hos·pi·tal·i·ty

noun:

the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

synonyms: friendliness, warm reception, welcome, helpfulness, neighborliness, warmth, kindness, congeniality, geniality, cordiality, courtesy, generosity, entertainment, catering, food service.

“we found nothing but hospitality among the local inhabitants”

As we think about welcoming people into our homes, there are a few things that help me get it all together (a huge task for me, in and of itself!).

5 Ways to Practice Hospitality:

1) Present a peaceful home.

This may not seem to have anything to do with hospitality, but believe me when a guest arrives to a frazzled host, or worse yet, a frazzled couple– they know it! It makes everyone uncomfortable, and doesn’t give your guests a proper greeting (I know from first-hand experience). One way to maintain a peaceful home is to be ready early! Make as many preparations as you can beforehand.

2) Do prepare for your guests.

Have overnight company coming? Make certain the bed has clean sheets, there are towels handy in the bathroom they will be using. Leave a small selection of toiletries on the vanity or dresser in case they left something behind. Stash an extra roll or two of toilet paper in the guest bath. Clean out a space in the guest bedroom closet for them to hang clothes. Place a box of tissue, a note pad and pen on the nightstand.

3) Have something to serve early arrivers.

Many people consider themselves late if they are not 15 minutes early! Have a simple tray of fruit and nuts or maybe a cheese ball and crackers set out as appetizers to tide them over until the meal is served. And have an offering of festive beverages, as well, such as this spiced cider:

4) Make your guests feel special.

This is not as hard as it might seem. I believe when you open your home to others, it is important to let them know how glad you are that they chose to spend their time with you! You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to add a few little touches that will accomplish this goal. Add some wrapped chocolates to the items on the nightstand, some luxurious bath salts and a scented candle in the guest bath. At the table, include a place card with a special favor on each plate. Honestly, these little touches will be remembered long after the clean sheets are forgotten!

5) Have your house as clean as time permits.

You may have never heard it put this way, but if you don’t have time to dust the blinds or send the curtains to the dry-cleaners, hey… it’ll wait till spring! But do hit the main spots: dust furniture, vacuum floors, clean carpets and wood floors. I like to dust first, then do floors. It’s part of my ‘start at the top’ philosophy! Clean from the top down, and you don’t have to go back over what you’ve already cleaned. Vacuum all the floors, then shampoo the carpets, and lastly, clean the wood floors.

If you don’t have time to deep clean your carpet before the guests arrive, you will certainly want to do it after the holidays! A great product to use when cleaning your carpet is one of the BISSELL Scotchgard Protector solutions…

Thanks to BISSELL for sponsoring today’s discussion on Hospitality!

Note: this promotion has ended.

There are 4 awesome formulas of the BISSELL Scotchgard Protector solutions:

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– 2X Professional Pet Urine Eliminator Formula (48 oz)
– 2X Deep Clean & Protect Formula 62E52 (60 oz)
– 2X Pet Stain & Odor Formula 99K52 (60 oz)

BISSELL will randomly select three winners from the comments found on participating blogs. (This promotion has ended)

*Please note, there will not be 3 winners per Storyteller, but rather 3 winners from all participants. The winner will be announced Monday, January 5th.

Have a wonderfully Hospitable Holiday! And I hope you win the giveaway!!

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