Making Home Feel Welcoming as the Season Changes

This time of year, I begin thinking about everyone coming home.

There are visits to look forward to, meals to plan, and the familiar question of where everyone will sleep. Our family has grown, and gathering together takes a little more arranging these days.

I enjoy that anticipation. Before the celebrations begin, there is time to think about the small things that will make everyone comfortable—and to enjoy preparing our home along the way.

Begin where everyone gathers

The kitchen, the dining table, the comfortable seats in the living room—these are good places to begin.

Clear enough space for someone to set down a cup. Free up the chair that has become a place for folded laundry. Look around and think about how people will use the room.

Will we need another seat? Is there somewhere to put a bag? Can everyone reach the table comfortably?

These simple preparations make it easier to welcome people when they arrive. They also make the house more comfortable for those of us already living in it.

Bring out a little at a time

I love Christmas, and I look forward to bringing out the things that belong to that season. But there is pleasure in letting the house change gradually.

For now, it might be a throw within reach of the sofa, a serving dish brought out for an evening together, or a lamp switched on as daylight fades.

You can start with what you already own. Move something you love to a place where you’ll see it every day. Bring out the pieces that invite use: the cups, the blankets, the bowl that’s just right for sharing something at the table.

There will be time for the tree and all that comes with it.

Let fragrance be part of the anticipation

Rejoice, with notes of pine, balsam, and cedarwood, brings a familiar evergreen fragrance into the house. It’s a lovely way to begin enjoying the season before the decorating is finished—or even started.

Light it while you sit down to plan a family meal, read in the evening, or spend some unhurried time together.

Keep fragrance gentle when guests are coming, particularly around food, and consider anyone who may be sensitive to scent. Always place a candle on a stable surface away from drafts and flammable materials, keep it beyond the reach of children and pets, and extinguish it before leaving the room.

Plan something you can enjoy, too

Food is a big part of welcoming people into our home. As the calendar begins to fill, it helps to have a few familiar meals in mind—things you know how to make and can prepare without spending the whole visit in the kitchen.

Think about what can be done ahead. Make room in the freezer if that will help. Keep a short list rather than trying to remember everything.

And leave room for an easier evening: something warm to eat, enough for everyone, and time to sit down together.

The conversation around the table deserves a place in the plans.

Enjoy home before the busy days arrive

With so much to look forward to, it’s easy to spend these weeks preparing for a day that hasn’t arrived yet.

Use the room you’ve made comfortable. Take the blanket off the arm of the chair. Light the candle on an ordinary evening.

Soon enough, there will be more people around the table and more activity in the kitchen. I’m looking forward to all of it.

For now, there is something lovely about being here, enjoying our home as we get ready to welcome everyone back.