31 Days: Day Nineteen

One last post about overnight guests...

Source

This is an excerpt from a series that Susan Godfrey did on Christian hospitality.

Making Overnight Guests Comfortable

1. "Include your guests in everything you normally would do as a family.  This includes family devotions, prayers and story time.  You want them to feel like they are part of the family.  Some guests may decline and so be prepared to offer an alternative.
2. If you are lucky enough to have a spare or guest room, make sure that it is hospitable and comfortable for your guests.  Include a comfortable bed, night stand, a comfortable chair, chest of drawers and a mirror.  Also make sure there’s a trash can and  laundry basket in the room for your guest to use.
3. If you do not have a guest room, offer your guest one of your bedrooms and move one of the family members to the couch or pallet.  This makes sure your guest will have privacy and be able to make themselves more comfortable.
4. Make sure the bed is made up with clean, sweet smelling bedding.  Also make sure that you provide extra blankets and pillows for your guest.  This will allow them to make themselves comfortable.
5. Don’t put bedding on the bed that you would worry about something staining it or makes the guest too nervous to get comfortable.  What I mean is don’t put the solid white, hand quilted quilt that your great-grandmother Harriet made on the bed.  Not only will you be upset that it was ruined, but just seeing it may make your guest unable to fully get comfortable.  Equip the bed with pretty and worry free bedding.
6. Provide your guest with closet and drawer space, as well as make sure there are extra hangers for them to use.  If you have room, provide them with a ironing board and iron as well.
7. Be sure and offer them the use of your washer and dryer and show them how to work it if necessary.
8. Make sure to include an alarm clock in the room.  This allows your guest to see the time, as well as awake when they want.  A clock radio is nice, as this allows your guest to play soft music to help drown out any noises they are not use to.
9. Make sure the room is stocked with things such as writing pads, pens/pencils,  a variety of books and magazines, and a Bible.  This way guests can make notes, write reminders, or just read themselves to sleep.
10. A bed light or lamp for reading allows your guest to have a low power, soft lighting for reading or moving around in the night.  Also make sure there’s a night light in the hallway and bathroom to help them find their way around at night.
11. Provide a basket filled with snacks in the guest room.  Fill it full of small, snack sized treats so if they get hungry in the evening after you’ve go to bed or if you are away they can find something simple to eat without having to raid your cabinets to find something.  Some good ideas are crackers, cookies, fruit, gum, candy bars, etc.  Also provide the guests with a clean drinking glass in their bedrooms so they can get water from the bathroom at night.
12. A basket full of personal care items is also a nice touch.  Include things like sample sizes of tissue, pain reliever, new toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, first aid items (bandaids), sewing kit, nail files, deodorant and things of that nature.   I know I’m always forgetting something, so this is so helpful as it keeps them from having to run out and purchase items they forgot.                   

These are only a few ways that you can make your overnight guests feel at home.  Hospitality can be fun and it’s important as Christians to offer it to those around us."