HEARTH & HOME
Hosting Houseguests
for the Holidays
By Rhonda Shrum Bodnar
N
ovember and December can be a flurry of shopping,
cooking and cleaning. And when you have out-of-town
guests coming to stay, things can get even more hectic.
However, a good host always provides a calm, cozy
retreat for their sacred visitors, and prepping a five-
star guest room is easier than you think. The first thing you’ll want
to focus on is, of course, the bed. While you may be tempted to put
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a less-than-stellar mattress in this room or use older linens, resist the
urge. The bed and bedding will be your biggest expense, and with good
reason: Travel is stressful, and many people have a hard time sleeping
away from home. Therefore, you’ll want to do everything possible to
make the bed comfortable.
Invest in a good mattress and quality sheets with a thread count of
300 to 500, preferably made of Egyptian cotton or 100-percent pima