One of the top ten Christmas songs of all time is “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, this popular holiday song was written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It first appeared on Andy Williams Christmas Album that same year. The song is about celebrations that occur this time of year with family and friends when they come for a visit and celebrate the holidays. The lyrics are fun and warm and inviting. It has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs and I look forward to it playing every day until New Years.
“There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow”
“There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time of the year”
It doesn’t matter what holiday you celebrate, it is a song about good feelings and coming together.
Right after Halloween begins the holiday season, families get together beginning at Thanksgiving, then Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. Kids are home from college, some Military service members are able to come home and spend some time with their family, parents visit their kids or adult children and their families make out of town plans to visit their family and friends.
We are so busy planning for the holidays, we sometimes forget what to do before the holidays. If you are planning on having friends and family over, you will want your home to smell as fresh and look as fresh as possible, so a pre-treat of your upholstery and carpets is something to fit into your busy holiday schedule.
First thing to do when determining what needs the most attention is to focus on what room your guests will primarily be visiting. Leave the room and walk back in, take a good look around – Do the sofa cushions look drab or the curtains seem dusty? Has the lighting become dim and the carpet dirty? It is very easy to quickly freshen up any room before guests arrive.
First thing to do is to put on some holiday music, light a seasonal candle and smile. Walk into the room you’re about to tackle, take a deep breath and begin. Remove the furniture cushions and vacuum the inside of each piece of furniture, then vacuum each cushion before replacing them. Completely dust all shelving, lighting and curtains, then polish the tables or wipe clean any glass tops. The last thing to do is vacuum all the flooring – hard wood or carpet, this final step of vacuuming will pick up any dust that has fallen from all the dusting.
If guests will be spending the night, make sure the bed(s) have fresh bedding and then put fresh linens and bath towels in the bathrooms. Make some room for their suitcase and a spot in the closet so they can hang clothes.
If you have them, put some washable throw rugs throughout the house, this will help to prevent too much tracked in dirt get all over your floor and carpeting.