With the holidays fast approaching, our thoughts often turn to our home and whether or not things are as good as they can be to welcome our friends and family in.  Maybe you have a couple of smaller projects that you have on your to-do list to make that happen.  Maybe you feel you don’t have the time or energy to tackle these things before the holidays.  Things can get so crazy at this time of year, and if you’re anything like me, your mind might be spinning on how and what to try and accomplish to have you and your home feel “holiday-ready”. Well, my advice is to take a step back, clear your head, and think about what “home” is really all about.

When you think about the word “home,” ideally it brings to mind many wonderful memories and emotions.  This is truly why we do what we do…trying to make things function better, look better, be more comfortable and on and on.  Yes, we can love the actual act of doing the projects (heaven knows I do!) but there are deeper reasons for what we do.  We really want friends and family to think back on times spent in our home as special.  This is good…. this is what home is all about.

When I think back on my childhood homes, I recall lots of laughter, too many people for the space, fighting over the bathroom, and what appeared at times to be a revolving door!  I am half Greek and half Italian, so my parents were always very welcoming to friends and family.  There was no such thing as too many people or too much food!  When I think back on it, I’m very grateful!  What a great environment to grow up in!  It affected me as an adult.  I always wanted my kids and their friends to feel welcome in our home and want to hang out there.  As an empty-nester, I still want that for my adult kids, our friends, their friends, and grandkids too!  Certain things from your childhood will definitely stay with you as an adult.

To have that happen, your home needs to be functional, comfortable, and enjoyable to be in.  This is really the root of why we do what we do with our home.  This, for me, is what sparks the urge to have a better functioning guest bathroom or a comfortable living room to be in, watch movies in, play games in, and so on.  So, as you move onto your next home improvement project - keep those thoughts in mind.  What are the essential functions of our home?  What can we do to make it better?  What new memories will be created as a result of all of our hard work?

These thoughts are what helped give my business its slogan: “Love Where You Live”.  If you do, then others will too and that’s where all those great memories come from.  So, keep doing what you love to do and tackle those home improvement projects with the sense of importance they deserve!  And, if you find that you only have time for some small fixes or updates, that’s okay too.  Even a quick guest bathroom refresh or special holiday table decorations will go a long way to making guests feel welcome and to you feeling ready to welcome them in!

Now, what will you do next to love where you live?

Please feel free to reach out to us at The Redesign Habit and ask questions or simply share a project that you are working on or have completed.

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