In just a few more days, we’ll be celebrating one of the most popular festivities in the Western world: Christmas (or just “the festivities,” for those that don’t necessarily celebrate it). As most of us know, it’s going to be hard calling something a celebration without heart-warming laughter from family members, hearty meals with friends, and the iconic exchange of gifts.
But compared to your usual Christmas celebration where people can just easily invite their friends, neighbors, and co-workers over, it’s going to be a challenge having friends and acquaintances over in the middle of a pandemic. Most families and those yearning to celebrate Christmas with friends are stuck in a rock and a hard place: should they invite friends over and risk transmission or limit parties to video calls?
Most experts would say that there’s bound to be a spike in COVID-19 infections during the festive season since individuals will be attending parties and coming near others, especially inside homes. As such, it’s paramount that homeowners and those that want to host parties prepare their homes with proper safety procedures to mitigate the likelihood of infections.
But how do you prepare your home for Christmas celebrations during the pandemic? What can you do to make your place safe while you have friends and family members? Here’s what you can do.
Keep Your Entrances Clean
If you’re going to be inviting family members or friends over, you will need to ensure that your home’s entrance is clean. Since a lot of countries around the world are still under lockdown, many of your guests will need to disinfect and clean their hands right before going inside your home. It’s important that they also wear a facemask, and the only time they will need to remove it is when they’re about to eat or drink.
If you’re living in areas with cold weather conditions, you should be expecting snow. Even though this shouldn’t be a problem for most households expecting snow for much of the year, moisture and water can still get inside your home through your front door, especially when people will be zooming in and out. That said, you might want to have a doormat that will absorb moisture right outside your front door and a cozy rug in the lobby.
However, rugs that are usually placed on entrances can easily accumulate pounds of dirt. In fact, rugs can accumulate as much as 40 pounds of dirt, mud, and debris in a year if they’re not cleaned; this can easily lead to wear and tear on your rug. Fortunately, rug repair services are well-versed in cleaning, restoring, and keeping your rugs in pristine condition. After all, you want to impress your guests with a cozy atmosphere for the festive season!
Limit the Size of Gatherings
There’s going to be Christmas parties where most people will be inviting over 50 to 60 people, especially if there’s a “spacious” establishment that can be used; these type of parties are hazardous. Although Christmas is known for being a celebration with large gatherings, there’s no place for it this holiday season.
Instead of inviting over 10 to 20 people, you can invite around three to five individuals. If you have a rather spacious area, you might want to have a maximum of around 15 people for almost all types of gatherings, whether it’s indoors or outdoors. It’s imperative that you only invite people you trust and those you’ve been keeping in contact with for a while; at least you’ll know that they are in good condition.
There are different ways of preparing your home for guests without having to compromise the “safety” and cleanliness of your home. But even though most people want to have a good time during Christmas, it’s still important to stick to safety precautions and measures.
Remember: if you’re in doubt that a person might be infected, or you’re just not comfortable with people who have a “history” with going out and coming into contact with others, you don’t have to force yourself to invite them. You can always have a virtual party rather than inviting people over. After all, safety should be your top priority, and the best way of celebrating Christmas is by having a healthy family!
