Silver Bells...
November 25 & 28, 2015 | Holiday Supplement
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by Metro Creative Connection
item s m ay be needed to accom m odate forg etfu l g u ests.
T
Provide creatu re com forts
G u ests w on’t be u sed to the room s in you r hou se, so be
su re that you offer a lig ht for a nig htstand and an alarm
clock . N ig htlig hts placed in the bathroom or hallw ay
can illu m inate u nfam iliar su rrou nding s. K eep a fan on
hand so that g u ests can adju st the tem peratu re in their
room s and also if they need a little w hite noise w hile
they sleep. A tray w ith book s, m ag azines and the W i-F i
code also m ay be appreciated.
he song m ay say, “there’s no place lik e hom e for the
holidays,” yet m any people find their holidays are
ju st as w ell spent in som eone else’s abode. T he popu lar
m otor clu b federation A A A says that m ore than 90
m illion A m ericans jou rney 50 m iles or m ore from hom e
du ring the year-end holiday season, and each year the
nu m ber of travelers increases.
W hen opening their hom es to loved ones and friends,
hosts w ant to m ak e their g u ests feel w elcom e.
F ortu nately, there are m any w ays to do ju st that.
E stab lish a cozy n ook
D eterm ine w here you r g u ests w ill be sleeping . D o not
w orry if you do not have a separate g u est room . T here
are other thing s you can do, su ch as g iving u p you r ow n
bedroom for the du ration of their stay. O therw ise, tu rn
another spot into a g u est area. A den or living room
w ith a pu llou t sofa also m ig ht w ork . C hildren’s room s
also are another idea. L et you ng children cam p ou t in
the living room or the basem ent w hile you tu rn their
room s into spots for you r g u ests. T he k ids w ill
appreciate the novelty of setting u p sleeping bag s, and
g u ests w ill g et som e m easu re of privacy.
H ave separate gu est am en ities
Invest in som e lu sh tow els and w ash cloths reserved for
g u ests. A lso, have com fortable sheets on hand. B e su re
all linens are freshly w ashed, and have a draw er or tw o
available in case g u ests w ant to u npack their su itcases.
K eep som e toiletries stock ed as w ell. A few extra
toothbru shes, m ou thw ash, soap, and other personal
Separate b athroom facilities
If possible, devote one bathroom in the hou se for g u ests’
u se. T his w ay they w ill have all the privacy they need.
A sk if there are any special produ cts they lik e to u se in
the bathroom , helping to cu t dow n on the item s g u ests
need to bring w ith them .
Inside find:
Travel safely
this holiday
season
Shop Locally
Baby’s first
Christmas
How to
pick your
Christmas Tree
Stock favorite foods
M ak e a list of the foods that you r g u ests enjoy and plan
a shopping trip to stock u p on these item s. E ncou rag e
g u ests to have free reig n of the k itchen, helping
them selves to snack s or w hatever is desired. R em em ber
to ask abou t any dietary restrictions, inclu ding allerg ies.
D eep clean you r hom e
C lear aw ay u nnecessary clu tter and g ive floors a fresh
w ash or vacu u m ing , especially if you have pets. Pay
special attention to show ers and the bathroom itself.
You don’t w ant g u ests tripping over you r belong ing s.
A few special and sim ple tou ches can qu ick ly prepare a
hom e for holiday hosting and entertaining .
Home
for the
Holidays
Look
inside for
great
holiday
recipes
C hristm as tree varieties an d care
the m ore popu lar trees com e
C hristm astim e.
• E astern R edcedar:
Branches of the tree are
com pact and form
a
pyram id-shaped crow n. T he
trees shou ld be a dark , shiny
g reen color. T he eastern red -
cedar is not a tru e cedar tree,
bu t a m em ber of the ju niper
fam ily. T his tree can m ak e a
g reat cu t tree w ith a hom e -
spu n look and a pu ng ent fra -
g rance.
• L eylan d C ypress: T his
cypress is one of the m ore
popu lar C hristm as trees in
the sou theastern U nited
States. T he tree w ill be very
dark g reen to alm ost g ray in
color. It has little arom a.
Som e people choose the
L eyland becau se it does not
produ ce sap, w hich is g reat
w ere decorated w ith edibles, N ational C hristm as Tree for those w ith sap allerg ies.
by Metro Creative
su ch as nu ts and fru its. T hey A ssociation says m ore than
Connection
• C olorado B lu e Spru ce:
w ere later decorated w ith 33 m illion real trees are pu r - A n attractive blu e-g reen foli -
A n everg reen tree deck ed candles and eventu ally chased each year, m ak ing the ag e and a g ood sym m etrical
tree bu siness a billion-dollar form is w hat attracts m any
ou t in lig hts and ornam ents lig hts.
T hrou g h the centu ries, indu stry. W hile there are people to the blu e spru ce.
is one of the u niversal sym -
bols of the holiday season. people have trek k ed to for - scores of everg reen varieties, T he C olorado Blu e Spru ce
T he C hristm as tree tradition ests, C hristm as tree farm s certain tree types are m ore has an excellent natu ral
is believed to have orig inated and com m ercial lots to pick popu lar than others and thu s shape and requ ires little
in G erm any in the 15th or the perfect trees for their m ore available for pu rchase. pru ning to look lik e the per -
displays. T he T he follow ing are som e of fect C hristm as tree. It’s not
16th centu ries, w hen trees holiday
very frag rant, bu t the tree
needles m ay g ive off an
u npleasant odor w hen
cru shed.
• Scotch Pin e: A classic
conical shape and very g ood
needle retention help m ak e
the Scotch pine a popu lar
tree to cu t for the holidays.
Scotch pines also are qu ite
prevalent thank s to the tree’s
adaptability to a w ide rang e
of clim ates.
• E astern W hite Pin e: A
delicate g reen color and long
needles are fou nd on this
tree. A nother popu lar pine,
the rich frag rance of the
w hite pine m ay m ak e it pref -
erable to those w ho lik e their
hom es to sm ell of everg reen.
• D ou g las Fir: T he
D ou g las fir is one of the
forem ost C hristm as tree spe -
cies in the U nited States. It
has soft needles that are dark
g reen in color. T hose nee -
dles radiate in all directions
from the branches to g ive
the tree a fu ll look . T he nee -
dles, w hen cru shed, have a
sw eet frag rance. D ou g las firs
tend to live long w hen cu t.
• Fraser Fir: A nother
popu lar fir for C hristm as is
the F raser fir. T he needles
are bicolored, w ith dark
g reen on top and silver on
the bottom . M ore frag rant
than its cou sin, the D ou g las,
the F raser also boasts a slen -
der profile, w hich m ak es it
su itable for sm aller room s.
C hristm as tree m ain -
ten an ce: N othing can g u ar -
antee the health and appear -
ance of a tree after it is
brou g ht into a hom e. Bu t
choosing a recently cu t tree
that has g ood needle reten -
tion can help. H ere are other
tips for a long -lasting tree.
• U se a sharp saw to cu t
an inch off of the tru nk base
to rem ove the sappy cov -
ering that form s from cu t -
ting . T his w ill im prove w ater
intak e.
• F ill a tree stand reservoir
w ith w arm w ater. E xpect the
tree to drink heavily in the
beg inning .
• K eep the reservoir filled
every day and check to see
how m u ch w ater the tree is
u sing .
• Place the tree far from
heaters or other drying
sou rces.