Christmas

Tips for Gathering Safely This Holiday Season

by Bevony on 2 December 2020 Comments Off on Tips for Gathering Safely This Holiday Season

For many, this will be the first holiday in a long time that they will have no in person gathering or just a very small one.  This can be hard especially if you moved into your own home this year and were really looking forward to hosting. To limit your risk of infection and protect your family and friends you have put together this piece with some tips for gathering safely this holiday season. 

There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself and your guests at an in person gathering this holiday. We’ll break them down for you. 

Pre-Celebratory Tips

Try to minimize the number of invitees as much as possible. For those that you do invite, you will need to provide them with some guidelines and restrict unwanted guests. So for example, if you are inviting your sister and she is having her in-laws over for the holidays you may want to respectfully decline having her in-laws over. Especially if they had to travel via public transportation (plane, train or bus) to get there. 

Provide your guests with a list of supplies that they should bring to the event to promote safety. You will also want to have some of these items on hand as well just in case anyone greets. Think items like: 

  • Disposable masks
  • Hand sanitizers
  • Sanitizing Wipes
  • Pouch for storing masks between use

During Your Celebration

You will want to ensure you and your guests are following safety guidelines for the COVID-19 virus as much as possible. Keep the following in mind: 

  • Safe Distancing – While it may be impossible to follow the 6 feet rule you can try to avoid, as best as possible, close contact with your guests and among guests. Have multiple options for seating arrangements so you don’t have to all be gathered around the table.  You can possibly rent tables and move some of your furniture to accommodate spacing around the tables. 

If there is not adequate space, encourage persons to not sing, or talk loudly. 

  • Clear the way to high traffic areas – you may want to move out any furniture that may be in the way enroute to the restroom so it is easy for persons to get around without bumping into each other. 
  • Encourage your guests to keep their masks on when they are not actively eating or drinking. 
  • Have hand sanitizer stations to encourage proper hygiene. Ensure you provide single use towels in your bathrooms and kitchen for the event. 
  • Limit persons in the area where the food is being prepared or served. If possible you can ask your guests to prepare and bring food for their group. This way you can greatly reduce the risk of contamination through food.

Try not to offer self serve options and instead have one person sharing each food item. Each server should of course be wearing a mask and food safe gloves. 

  • Opt for disposable plates, cups and utensils instead of reusable ones.
  • Disinfect commonly touched surfaces often and as much as possible between each use. Always wear disposable gloves and toss these after each use. 
  • Don’t allow your pet to interact with anyone outside of the household. 

Post Celebration Tips

AFter the event, take extra precautions for the first 14 days following the event date. If you can quarantine entirely for that time, do so. If not, stay home as much as possible for you and your family members. Get a COVID-19 test and stay home while you wait on the results of the test. 

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms or if you test positive for the virus you should immediately inform your guests, so they can get tested and isolated to reduce the spread of the virus. 

The 2020 holidays will be different from every year before it. If you feel you must have a gathering for your mental health, do it safely. Use the tips above to help minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Stay safe this holiday season, and well wishes from the SilverBeam Homes Family. 

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The Important Stuff for Holiday Season 2020

by Bevony on 19 November 2020 Comments Off on The Important Stuff for Holiday Season 2020

This year we have talked about many important issues. For many of us, these conversations were not ones we had much choice in. With the holiday season right around the corner, many people are reflecting on what this year’s Christmas will be like. What it will look like for themselves as well as their families. One particular charity event is taking a look at children. Looking at those living in unsafe homes and also those struggling with issues related to mental health. 

Home for the Holidays has been in operation for 16 years. For this event floral artists and interior designers give their expertise and time to decorate some of Vancouver’s more beautiful homes. The homeowners allow tour goers to visit their homes over the weekend and all ticket proceeds go to the Kids Help Phone

Kids Help Phone is the only 24/7 free counseling service in Canada. They offer help via text in Arabic, French and of course English. The help service shares statistics from their calls this year and it showed 3.7 million young people had reached out. This is an increase of 112% over 2019. 

Amounts of calls started to increase because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the calls are from kids reporting:

  • Grief 
  • Isolation 
  • Eating issues
  • Body image issues
  • Anxiety issues
  • Emotional abuse
  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse

Home for the Holidays 2020

This year, Home for the Holidays will be held virtually on November 28 and 29. Tour goers will contribute $35 and get the opportunity to see five beautiful Vancouver homes that have been professionally decorated for the holidays. The event will be hosted by Krissy Vann from CTV and Anicka Quin from th Western Living Magazine. 

East Vancouver Home and Designer 

Karla Dreyer, interior designer from Vancouver was drawn to take part in the Homes for the Holidays event this year because of the involvement in Kids Help Phone services. She notes that she has daughters of her own and so feels like she needs to support children that do not have a loving home, or loving parents. 

Her task was to decorate a home in East Vancouver. She notes the home was decorated in a mix of family fun and traditional style, also some formal styles thrown in as well. She notes how she used various small animal ornaments to decorate the home to include tiny bears, felt mice and more. 

This holiday season we can all have your surroundings looking and feeling festive. Now more than ever you should do that Christmas Tree. She believes that design has a big impact on wellbeing. For instance, even a small tree on a stool, and even a simple wreath on your door as well as a splash of lights. These are the little things that can make a difference in how you are feeling. 

West Vancouver Home and Designer 

Gaile Guevara of the Gaile Guevara Studio was selected to decorate a property with a modern British flair. She is known for designing with a focus on sustainable practices. For instance, her studio has the aim of being a zero footprint studio by 2025. We can see this in the approach she took in decorating the house she was given in West Vancouver. 

Guevara began her task by looking through the homeowner’s inventory. She was happy about their red feature wall. She took the decision to focus on dehydrated flora. Because, as she notes, they are good for the planet and are “super hip”. Gaile found flowers and plants from the neighborhood and the homeowner’s garden and these were dehydrated over one month. 

As a result, the front door got a beautiful hanging made from eucalyptus, allowing her to incorporate its scent and the theme of health and wellness.  She also created an Icelandic library of books which is a reference to the homeowner’s origins.  She also sourced items from Barter Design and Provide Home to ensure she was using items designed and manufactured in Canada. 

Guevara notes this holiday season is also one where we all have something to reflect on. For many people 2020 gives more details to reflect on than any other season. 

What are your plans for this holiday season? Will you be decorating also or not? 

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Preparing Your Home For Another Canadian Winter

by Bevony on 28 October 2020 Comments Off on Preparing Your Home For Another Canadian Winter

Regardless of the pandemic, you still have a bunch of things left on your to-do list for your home and yard. Canadians know how to withstand winter and can even flourish in those long cold months. But in order to do that we have to prepare for the season and ensure we are ready for its fierceness. While the government does their preparation for the winter, let’s help you get through your list and if you don’t have a list, use the one below. 

Seal Your Windows and Doors

If you are already feeling a draft by your windows or doors this is not a good thing. In the winter you want to keep all that cold air outside and keep your warm air inside. You should also check around your vents as well. If you find cracks in the caulking you will want to replace that. Opt for rubber caulking as this is the most weather resistant option and it is best at mimicking natural contraction and expansion that is caused by temperature changes. Check the weather, stripping around your doors and well and replace this if necessary. 

Insulate the Attic

Heat rises and so your attic will be the last line of defense against heat loss. You want to ensure that the insulation in your attic is at least 12 inches thick and properly layered. You will want to ideally have a vapor barrier as well. In the end you want your attic to be the same temperature as outside and without adequate sealing and insulation you may find the cold seeping back inside causing your heat costs to raise. 

Drain Hoses

Your watering days are going to be over for a while, so shut off your pipes and drain all your hoses. You also want to ensure that your sprinkler systems are drained and your taps are capped. Ensure you do this before the temperature falls below freezing, so you don’t end up with any frozen accumulation. You also want to drain your eaves of any water and make sure there are no leaves causing residual water backup after the fall. 

Bring In Window AC Units

Bring all your window units inside – we are pretty sure this is a no-brainer. 

Swab Your Deck

Store your patio furniture or cover them up. Bring in planters and pots that may crack in the cold or that have plants that will thrive inside. Once everything is put away or covered, you can clean the deck to ward off mildew and mold. If necessary, also reseal the deck if necessary. 

Trim the Trees – Not the Christmas Tree

Ice covered branches can look pretty, but they are not safe. So trim those trees before the snow, frost and ice starts. 

Tune Your Furnace

Clean your furnace to ensure it is working properly before the weather gets too cold. You may need to change the filter as well. Check on all ducts and vents to ensure that you will be experiencing a free flow of warm air when you need it the most. You may also want to have your chimney or fireplace inspected, especially if you haven’t done so in a while. 

Stock Up on Supplies

Do you need any supplies to manage the snow? Check on the condition of your shovels and get salt. You will want these to be available and easily accessible when the snow comes along. Now is the time to also have an emergency kit of perishables put together as well. This kit should include:

  • Non-perishable food items
  • Candles
  • Blankets
  • Drinking water (approx 2 liters per adult per day)
  • Matches
  • A battery powered radio
  • Flashlights 
  • Batteries

Are you ready for the winter season of 2020? Is your house ready for all the other seasons. Here at SilverBeam Homes we can help you with all your buying and selling needs. We can also give you great advice on maintenance and put you onto our team of preferred professionals. Contact us today!

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BevonyPreparing Your Home For Another Canadian Winter

Decorating Your Home for the Holidays

by Bevony on 18 December 2019 Comments Off on Decorating Your Home for the Holidays

It is around that time of the year when the Christmas lights go up. But you may have not already put them up and are strapped for time and creative motivation. Who says you need to follow traditional home decor trends? You don’t, take the minimalistic approach this year with these tips for decorating your home.

Subtle Touches of Christmas

If you take note you may notice that a lot of people are choosing to be more subtle with their Christmas decorations. Some forego house decorations all together and simply opt to decorate their dining table. Add a couple of festive colors in the form of your table dressings or even in your cutlery, you can forego the mistletoe toe designs and use plain reds and greens with gold or silver accents for a finishing touch.

How to Decorate Your Dining Table

There are so many options for decorating our dining table. You can use a runner tablecloth, placemats, etc. Fabrics alone can make a huge difference in a room. When you fully set your table it can be all the holiday decor you need in your home. 

Use centerpieces that offer candlelight and use candle stands that offer a long and low design element.  These allow you to have dinner conversation without the decoration being in the way or without having to move it off the table. 

If you are not doing a formal sit down dinner you can still decorate your island or buffet with causal but holiday-friendly decor. Use mixed heights and mixed materials as you set your buffet. Use glass and wooden elements and throw in color in the napkins which can be in prints, plaids or plain colors. Opt for footed serving trays of different heights and add some flowers to your display as well. Ensure you have ample lighting. If you need extra lighting you could always get a set of string lights to light up the area and also had to the Christmas feel of the decor. 

Asymmetrical Decor

There was a time when holiday decorations were always symmetrical. This year we are seeing a lot of asymmetrical decors. So hang your garland off to one side instead of in the middle. 

Color Choices

Choose a classic white or green or go with the on-trend gold/salmon color that seems to be in season this year.

Eco-Friendly Options

A lot of holiday season products including decor and decorations are being made more eco-friendly. You can find wooden pegs that are ideal for gifts. Use let glitter and bows and reuse more things you can find around the home or that are from sustainable sources.

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BevonyDecorating Your Home for the Holidays