If you’ve got the family gathering at your place for Christmas Day, you’re probably already thinking about space. Where you put everyone can certainly be a logistical nightmare. It’s best to tackle these challenges as quickly as possible so you’re not rushing around trying to find ways to fit everyone in too close to the big day.
More Room at the Inn
Here are our quick tips for finding More Room at the Inn:
Be Realistic
The first thing you need to do is check your space and be realistic about how many people you can accommodate. Much will depend on who you are inviting. Adults generally need more home comforts and privacy than children, for example. The key here is to be realistic, is your Great Aunt Mable really going to be happy sharing a room with 7-year-old twins?
Extra Beds
A main challenge during the festive season, is figuring out where everyone is going to sleep. If you’re stuck for space and have regular visitors, investing in a set of bunk beds can make a big difference. You don’t have to buy new either, you can find plenty of bargains online with people selling their bed frames once the children have moved away or grown up.
Consider investing in a space saving sofa bed, which can transform places like the living room, into a bedroom in next to no time.
Of course, the ultimate space savers have to be blow up mattresses – these have improved a lot over the last few years and when not in use they can be deflated and packed away.
Seating for Everyone
Stuck for table space and seating? If you regularly host family and friends, then investing in an extendable dinning table may be the best option, Ikea’s range of extendable tables is rather impressive and you should be able to find a solution that will suit your dinner numbers.
Another option is to turn your festive dinner into a buffet style meal, rather than a big sit-down affair, which eliminates the space problem almost entirely. You also won’t have to worry about dishing up and who doesn’t want sprouts.
Then there’s seating around the TV to consider. Informal seating like Bean Bags are a great way make the most of your living room space, you’ll have a hard job keeping the children off them!
Dine Out
If you simply cannot fit all your guests around the dinner table in your own home, why not look at hiring your community hall for a festive feast? You could even save on the cooking and get everyone to bring a dish along.
Many pubs and restaurants offer delicious Christmas Day meals, for larger numbers you may have to book early and it can get rather expensive. The main advantage with this option is that you don’t have to do any cooking or washing up on the big day. The ultimate stress free Christmas dinner.
Book a Hotel Room or Two
Sometimes there’s not enough space, no matter hard you try to squeeze everyone in. Hotels tend to remain open over the festive period and most offer special packages to cater specifically for this scenario. A quick search online and you are sure to find a few suitable hotel offers.
Hopefully our tips for creating space to accommodate your family and friends over Christmas has helped. Remember, most people won’t mind what the set up is, as long as you are all together… enjoy!
