Christmas

We’ve found there are usually two common thoughts that run through the minds of most people when they live in Las Vegas, and we’re guessing during the holiday season, they happen more often than not.

The first is: “How can I accommodate all the family and friends who want to come stay with me?” (Because you live in Fabulous Las Vegas, silly! Two-birds/one-stone theory for them.)

The second is: “How come I can pick my friends, but I can’t pick my family?!” (Okay, that one may be more the result of remembering past holiday seasons – because, hey, what’s a Thanksgiving Dinner without a little family drama?) We can’t help you much with the second (if we could, we might try it ourselves! haha!). But the first can probably be managed a little better than in the past. (Let’s face it – we’re all so worried about hurting other’s feelings, we often don’t pay any attention to our own.)

That’s why we suggest a little forethought, some pre-planning, and actually setting the rules up-front – then saying them out-loud. It is, after all, your home – right? So even if you’ve had some difficult past experiences with certain house guests, we suggest you take that knowledge and turn it to your advantage. Let us get started with ideas by explaining how that can work.

Firm Up the Dates
Those open-ended visits can make you crazy. Admit it – you’ve been there. That’s why it’s critical that you lay out firm ground rules that start with the arrival and departure dates. That allows you to plan activities and know there is an end in sight. (You feel better already, don’t you?) This is probably the most important decision to make before your house guests arrive, and the three-day guideline is a good rule of thumb. (You know what they say about fish & guests.) The Added Benefit you get from this single step can also help to avoid difficult conversations between you, your spouse, and your kids. (Like: “When are they going to leave?!”)

Remember That Your Life Matters, Too
We all love visiting with people we don’t get to see often. Parents, grandparents, school chums – and the holiday season is one of the things that inspires us to gather, catch up, and reminisce. But then why – for some of us – is it a time of such stress and anxiety (and other emotions we won’t mention here, but you know what they are!)?

Part of the reason is that while your house guests may be on a carefree vacation – you’re still dealing with your day-to-day life. That might include work, school, your children’s activities, etc. Plus, the cleaning and shopping and cooking that as a host, you feel is required. And that’s not even counting rearranging the sleeping arrangements, lots of extra “stuff” around your house, more people to share bathrooms, who gets to choose what to watch on tv, and the list goes on.

Many hosts have a tendency to gloss over this by thinking: “it’s just for a few days – we’ll get through it.” But our response to that would be: “Why not just set the ground rules up-front?”

A lot of times, people are reluctant to take this step (those ‘hurt feelings’ again).

But in truth, most people are pretty understanding about this. Why? Because they’ve been in your shoes, and they remember how frustrating it can get! We suggest that at the time (or even before) confirming anyone’s visiting dates, you have an honest communication and say right up front that “I’m delighted you’re coming to visit! Here’s when I’ll be available to plan to do things with you – and when I’ll be working/taking kids to school or activities/etc.” (Even if you just want a couple of hours to yourself after a long workday.) If you have a baby or toddler, routine is important to maintaining household serenity – so invite them to be part of that, too. (They can always go to the casino after bedtime!) The point is to let them know what your schedule is like so they won’t just assume you’re the Local Las Vegas Entertainment Revue 24/7.

Let Them Know Your Home’s Boundaries and How Things Work
With some house guests, it’s hard to know if they don’t pitch in to help because they don’t want to be in your way or do things wrong – or if they’re just taking advantage of the Free Cook & Head Bottle-Washer services they can get out of you. Whichever it is, you can help out the first type, and give the lazier, er – latter ones – a not-so-subtle hint by letting them know how things in your home function. Such as:

• Out-of-bounds areas (like your personal computers, bedroom, etc.)
• Whether pets are welcome
• Where house guests can smoke
• Your WiFi password
• Where to find things (such as dishes, towels, toilet paper, etc.)
• Show them how to make the coffee
• Where should they put dirty laundry?
• Demonstrate how the dishwasher and washing machines work
• Show them where the trash goes
• ….and, well…… you get the gist of it.

Provide Special Touches They’ll Appreciate
This is just a short list of items that almost every house guest will appreciate. Your friends and family may have more specific needs – so we suggest you give them some thought, and surprise them with their visit with things they know only you would recognize – and that they would appreciate.

• Flowers – even tiny vases of fresh herbs or a single flower will clearly display you are thinking of their comfort.
• An extra power strip in their room for their devices (this one is almost mandatory anymore).
• Provide a collection of common bathroom amenities in a small basket.
• Set apart a stack of clean towels.
• Place some bottled water in their room.
• Provide a place to hang their clothes / set up their suitcase.
• Extra pillows.
• Clear off a nightstand and leave the lamp on for them.
• Written instructions about how to operate your television. Have Netflix or Roku? Tell them how to work that, too!
• A list with directions from your house to nearby stores, in case they need to purchase personal items.
• Do they enjoy a yoga or exercise class regularly? Provide a list of nearby facilities.

Will you be hosting elderly house guests? They also have some special needs to take into consideration.

• Keep extra blankets in their room in case they get a chill.
• Provide nightlights.
• Tub floor grippers and non-slip mats (might save everyone from a difficult situation)
• A clock and a calendar (in case they need to keep track of medications)
• Pen and notepad.
• Also, keep in mind that seniors eat smaller meals and snack more, and they may have certain dietary restrictions. Ask ahead of time about foods and drinks they normally eat, and make the extra effort to let them know you have them, where they are, and how to make them (explaining where utensils and dishes are, etc.)

See? It’s possible to make your house guests feel super-welcome AND not make your time during their visit a ride straight to Insanityville! Keep in mind, too – that after the first time you follow some of these tips, you’ll see that the benefits are worth the effort to speak up, and you’ll move forward with your next visitors accordingly. (Repetition will make it that much easier for you to do it with the next guests, and the ones after that!).

New Home Resource helps current and future homeowners with all of their Las Vegas real estate needs. Whether your preference is for property management, a newly built home from a local builder, or a resale property in just the right location, a New Home Resource Realtor® is here to provide just the service you’re looking for. Please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000 or at www.newhomeresource.com. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher, Jessica O’Brien, Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern, and Kathy Paterniti are all here to help!

Did you ever feel like you just spend all year dieting to prepare for….(dum, Dum, DUM!) …. The Holidays? Yep – we do, too. And in the spirit of convincing you to focus on all things wonderful and tasty about this season, to encourage you to bake with abandon in your Home Sweet Home – and better yet, to let you know you’re free to share the spoils with us! – here’s a list of some pretty delicious and gorgeous recipes that we think will help get you in the spirit (if you’re not already there, that is).

Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies

What screams “Christmas” more than the tradition of shortbread cookies? These sweet versions add the most delicate of holiday touches in the form of two tiny holly leaves and a red berry for a minimalist “under-the-top” look. The recipe from Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe is melt-in-your-mouth fabulous (and easy to make, too). And because it took us awhile to hunt down those simple touches of decor, we’ll just let you in on a secret: We found ours in the $1 section of our nearest Target store! (but it’s a simple cake/cookie decoration item to find, too.)

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

You’re seriously not going to believe how easy it is to make these beauties – or the simple ingredient that it takes to create that “stained glass window” effect. Think: Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers. Yep –it’s that simple. But, we’re going to let Martha Stewart explain how to do it right in her classic recipe.

Checkerboard Cookies

Want to step up your game a bit? If you’re looking for something a little more challenging – and a cookie that makes a bold statement on your platter – try these vanilla and chocolate Checkerboard Cookies. Not a walk in the park – but not as hard as you would think, either. This Cook and Be Merry recipe provides step-by-step instructions, complete with images to help you get there.

Pomegranate Jeweled Cheese Ball

Sometimes, you need a little “real food” sustenance to get you through the baking chores – or perhaps to add something a little more on the “savory” side for your holiday gathering. So give this a shot: Pomegranate Jeweled Cheese Ball recipe for your from How Sweet Eats. White cheddar, toasted almond, and crispy sage – decorated with the prettiest fruit of the season. Beat that.

Sparkling Cranberries

You. Are. Simply. Not. Going. To. Believe. This. One. These Sparkling Cranberries couldn’t be easier to make or more enjoyed by your guests. Not to mention they taste great and you can trust us on that, because we don’t even like cranberries! (unless they’re prepared like this) This is actually a great recipe to let the kids handle – and you are SERIOUSLY going to want to have these on-hand as a “quick-attitude-pick-me-up” – available at your fingertips each time you walk past the table where you keep them on display. (We’ve noticed that location seems to move depending on which room we’re spending time in.) They’re pretty and cute at the same time – festive as the holiday itself – and taste so darn good you’ll find yourself making them more than once this season (we bet). Here’s the recipe from 30 Pounds of Apples.

Mini Gingerbread Houses for Your Mug

Can’t pass up an opportunity to bring gingerbread into the mix. And speaking of, are these the sweetest additions to any coffee cup EVER? A big thanks to Tablespoon for bringing this too-cute-for-words Mini Gingerbread House recipe to the table. Our only complaint? They’re too adorable to eat!

Strawberry Santa Poppers

These are so adorable and so easy! You’ll just need strawberries (the bigger, the better), whipped cream or frosting, and black icing or candy to form the eyes. Simply slice the top of the strawberry off (to make the hat) and place a big dollop of whipped cream or frosting on the flat part of the strawberry. Then top that off with the top of the strawberry “hat”, and bring the Santa to life with eyes and buttons. (For even more fun – figure out how to put a belt on him, too!) Easy-Peasy – and just the right touch of whimsy for your table spread. Plus, you can always say “Hey – it’s fruit! It’s healthy! Have more!”

Holiday Cranberry Syrup

Anyone who loves to entertain during the holidays knows that “themes” are important. You can find all sorts of awesome cranberry-flavored drink recipes online (both alcoholic and non) – and now, there’s no need to run out to find those bottles of expensive drink syrups (that can taste a bit chemical-ly anyway, we think.) Cranberries give this syrup its rich color and characteristic tang in this recipe from Midwest Living. Use the sugar mixture as a base for drinks – or other ideas include as a topper for ice cream, cake or pancakes. Heck, you can even give it away in decorative bottles for food gifts (and add the recipe on the card for that special touch). Bottoms up!

Soft Pretzel Bites

(Because after all that sugar – you need a little salt!)

Keeping that holiday table filled with a variety of tidbits is easy when you keep in mind the main food groups: Sugar, Fruit, Pretzels. (Or maybe that’s just our motto?) Anyway – Two Peas and Their Pod have created this easy-to-follow recipe for Soft Pretzel Bites (dare we say they’re as good as Auntie Anne’s?). We’ll probably just have a separate plate full of these for ourselves. Thanks!

Rudolph-Tini

Yes, Virginia – grown-ups enjoy the holiday season in grown-up ways, too! Although with enough martini glasses on-hand, you can also whip up a non-alcohol version of this Rudolph-Tini for the kids – just because they’re so adorable. Get the recipe here: All Recipes link for this fun cocktail, and while you’re there, you can discover a whole world of other drink recipes for the holidays, too!

We may return our blog to its regularly-scheduled helpful homeowner and home buying tips soon…….but we’re having a little too much fun this month with all our personal favorites for enjoying the holidays – and a few new ones we’ve found. Hope that’s okay with you!

New Home Resource helps current and future homeowners with all of their Las Vegas real estate needs. Whether your preference is for a newly-built home from a local builder, or a resale property in just the right location, a New Home Resource Realtor® is here to find the perfect property for you. Please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000 or at www.newhomeresource.com. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher, Jessica O’Brien, Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern, Lance Partin and Kathy Paterniti are all here to help!

One of the best things about buying a home? If you ask us, it’s about creating all those new holiday traditions! All the fun and festivities, the family and friends, the feasts and the falalalala’s. It’s a season we look forward to (presents & food!) – we dread (all that work, work, work to make it all perfect) – and we cherish (memories – both good and bad – whichever, they all make up our unique life stories).

We’d like to share some fun things centered on the holidays that we found and that put a smile on our faces. We hope they do for you, too!

A tree to remember. True story (<—-get it?) – because all your visitors will definitely be telling their friends about this one. Imaginatively simple and appropriately studious at the same time – this one tells the perfect tale about the host: Give me books for Christmas!

And for those who would like to take their Christmas tree in a different direction (<—ha! did it again!): An old ladder, a few boards, a little paint, and then bring on the lights and decorations!

What is better than a gift – that’s also food? (Other than a new Jaguar, we mean.) At least it’s great if you have people on your gift list that are passionate about their baking hobbies. Great tip: Offer a gift of holiday-shaped cookie cutters – but bake brownies in them for presentation. Fun, tasty, AND useful!

If presentation is everything, then we’d just like to say we need a few of these around to present our hors d’oeuvres for our holiday party. Arrange your mints on a parchment-lined pan, bake at 350-degrees for 5-8 minutes (watch them closely, though), turn out and let cool. A fantastically-easy and creative way to present your menu in style – and then hey, you can just eat ’em! (A neat twist: Use Jolly Ranchers….we hear they come out like stained-glass windows!)

Decorative balloons placed on a Frappuccino bottle + Ribbons = Are you kiddin’ me? How creative is this? An impressive and inexpensive packaging idea – great if you’re making homemade items such as bath salts or scrubs as gifts. We’ll take two, thanks!

And speaking of packaging, is this the greatest idea for wrapping children’s gifts EVER? We’re betting they’ll be so entranced, they’ll forget about the present INside. At least for awhile. (We know a few adults who would do the same thing!)

Gift Wrapping 101 continues with this clever presentation that will ensure no one at the office party is switching name tags on your Secret Santa deliveries! Note the cinnamon stick for a festive aroma, and the live greenery to enhance the effect.

We wonder how many of those paint-chip cards they have to keep in stock at Home Depot around the holidays?

Keep the kids in the spirit by assigning them the task of making these adorable GrinchKabobs for your holiday events. Or heck, just for breakfast. Green grape, banana, strawberry, mini marshmallow, and a candy heart on top. Couldn’t be simpler – or more fun (especially when they start piping the chocolate expressions on!)

Finally, if you’ve ever wondered how bakeries manage to create those adorable, individual lattice-topped holiday tarts, look no further. (It’s a little bit like exposing a magician’s secret, huh?) Eh – no matter. We figure we can use all the cheat-sheets we can get this time of year.

Whatever your holiday this season, and whatever your personal tastes – we truly believe they’ll all be better served in a home of your very own. If you’d like to make it happen for your family, let’s chat about it over the eggnog!

New Home Resource helps current and future homeowners with all of their Las Vegas real estate needs. Whether your preference is for a newly-built home from a local builder, or a resale property in just the right location, a New Home Resource Realtor® is here to find the perfect property for you. Please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000 or at www.newhomeresource.com. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher, Jessica O’Brien, Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern, Lance Partin and Kathy Paterniti are all here to help!

So – you think you know everything there is to know about Thanksgiving, eh? Well – maybe . . . and maybe not. But just to make sure you can pass the “Thanksgiving Trivia Test” that someone at the dinner table is sure to deliver this year, here’s a few tidbits that might help you score.

Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

One of the most common misconceptions – but the real answer is “Not so much.” Turkey does contain the essential amino acid tryptophan, which is a natural sedative, but so do a lot of other foods – like chicken, beef, pork, beans and cheese. Though many people believe turkey’s tryptophan content is what makes many people feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal, it is more likely the combination of fats and carbohydrates, as well as the large amount of food (not to mention alcohol, in some cases) consumed, that makes most people feel like following their meal up with a nap.

How Many Turkeys Are Consumed On Thanksgiving?

An estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving (the birds weigh, on average, 16 pounds). That is more than double the amount eaten on Christmas (22 million) and Easter (19 million). In 2010, more than 244 million turkeys were raised and about 226 million of those were consumed in the United States. Holy Turkey!

If Not For Thanksgiving – The Freezer Food Aisles Would Be Less Crowded

One of the greatest marketing triumphs of the 50’s, we’d say – because TV dinners have Thanksgiving to thank. In 1953, someone at Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys it would sell that Thanksgiving — by 26 TONS! Some industrious soul came up with a brilliant plan: Why not slice up the meat and repackage with some trimmings on the side? And the family dinner has never been the same since.

Careers To Avoid If Black Friday Is Your Favorite Event

Going shopping the day after Thanksgiving? Not if you’re a plumber. Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for them, according to Roto-Rooter, the nation’s largest plumbing service. After all, someone has to clean up after household guests who, er, ‘overwhelm the system.”

The Movement Of The Turkey Inspired A Dance

Yep – and it’s called the Turkey Trot. Modeled on the bird’s characteristic short, jerky steps, it was one of a number of popular dance styles that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The two-step, a simple dance that required little to no instruction, was quickly followed by such dances as the one-step, the turkey trot, the fox trot and the bunny hug, which could all be performed to the ragtime and jazz music popular at the time. The popularity of such dances spread like wildfire. (Although we’re just glad they didn’t change the main course to one of those other critters!)

Why Pick An Eagle When There’s Turkeys?

In a letter to his daughter sent in 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested that the wild turkey would be a more appropriate national symbol for the newly independent United States than the bald eagle (which had earlier been chosen by the Continental Congress). He argued that the turkey was “a much more respectable Bird,” “a true original Native of America,” and “though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage.” (While we admit that plenty of people already know this bit of trivia, it’s still an interesting way of gaining our forefathers’ perspective, we think!)

And let’s just wrap it up with a few quickies (or perhaps “one-liners” would be more appropriate):

• A full-grown turkey has over 3,000 feathers.

• Only male turkeys, called toms, gobble. Females, called hens, cackle.

• Thanksgiving is not just an American holiday – Canadians celebrate it, too (except they do it the second Monday in October).

• Turkeys have heart attacks: The United States Air Force was doing test runs and breaking the sound barrier, and nearby turkeys dropped dead with heart attacks. (Altogether now: Awwww! That’s so sad!)

• Green bean casserole came about some 50 years ago – thanks to the Campbell’s Soup people creating new recipes for its annual cookbook. (Now, the company sells about $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup, most likely for people to make the casserole.)

Now the ball’s in your court. If you can’t win yourself a bar-bet with one of those tidbits, then odds are you’re not the genius in the room. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!

New Home Resource helps current and future homeowners with all of their Las Vegas real estate needs. Whether your preference is for a newly-built home from a local builder, or a resale property in just the right location, a New Home Resource Realtor® is here to find the perfect property for you. Please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000 or at www.newhomeresource.com. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher, Jessica O’Brien, Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern, Lance Partin and Kathy Paterniti are all here to help!