Special Occasions

Would you believe that Christmas is less than a month away!  Rather than sit and lament about how fast the year has gone, let’s focus on how we use our homes to celebrate these special occasions!

As a custom home builder, at Activa, we spend a lot of time working with our clients to make sure that their new home fits in with their day to day lives.  It is also important to consider how your home works when it comes to those special occasions.  Again, this is all guided by your lifestyle.  If you are the type that enjoys, more formal, sit down dinners, we need to consider space for a dining table and appliances that are going to allow you to cook and serve multiple courses with ease.  If you have a more informal approach, island benches work really well for buffet style meals where everyone brings a plate to share.

Having room for guests to stay may also be an important consideration.  If you often have longer term visitors, a dedicated guest bedroom with ensuite is probably the way to go in making sure your guests have a home within your home.  For shorter stays, perhaps a multi-purpose room with a fold out couch would work better.

Entertaining at home is all about making sure that you have the time to spend with your friends and family.  After all, special occasions are all about coming together to celebrate.  This all comes down to planning and organization.  Have a drop zone or location for your guests to put their belongings on arrival.  This means that your kitchen benches will be kept clear and ready.  Make sure that your entertaining areas have all the amenities; so that you’re not having to run back and forth through your home to fetch food and beverages all day.  If you have an alfresco or balcony away from the kitchen, maybe consider a small kitchenette or fridge space close by.  Having a dedicated, easily accessible powder room for your guests is a bonus.

Now for the big question … where to put up the Christmas Tree?