Butler Greenwood Plantation, Saint Francisville, LA

We Asked: What have been your experiences hosting guests over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays? We want to hear your stories - whether funny, poignant, or both, and the specific changes you've made in response.

Question for our next issue: If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your inn (i.e. layout, location, construction, amenities, name, etc.), what would it be, and why?

Email your responses to InnkeeperNews@BedandBreakfast.com. If we publish your comments, we'll thank you with a $25 credit in our Featured Properties Auction program!

Thanksgiving stories

"We are Canadians and celebrate Thanksgiving in October. During the U.S. Thanksgiving, we've found that some people welcome the chance to feel like they are part of a bigger family. We prepare a huge turkey dinner, invite our guests into the kitchen to hang out and help (or not!) and join them at the table when everything is ready. This package has become immensely popular. We've attract newlyweds who don't want to play favorites with either family, people transferred to the area, empty nesters whose children are too far away to come home for the holiday, occasionally, families who have recently experienced a death of a close relative. The emotions are too raw the first year to spend a holiday at home, so they come to us instead.

"One year we got a call from a young man who had stayed with us the previous year with his lovely wife. He wanted to spend Thanksgiving eve here, alone. He explained that he and his wife had enjoyed a lovely romantic stay here at our inn for their anniversary. Shortly after their visit, she was diagnosed with cancer and tragically passed away. He wanted to wake up Thanksgiving morning in a place that held only happy memories for them. His story reduced me to tears. We welcomed him to the inn, and he spent a short time chatting to us, before retiring to his room for the evening. The next morning all was quiet in the inn. Too quiet. No sound came from his room. His requested breakfast time came and went, and our anxiety levels rose. Just as we considered using our passkey to check his room, he walked in the front door, and told us he had spent the most peaceful night since she passed away. He awoke refreshed, and went for an early-morning walk. He explained that the night at our inn had given him the strength he needed to join their two families for Thanksgiving dinner. We never mentioned our concern, simply gave him a farewell hug and wished him well." Yvonne Martin, The White Oak Inn, Danville, OH

"Last year was our first Thanksgiving as innkeepers. A woman called the day before Thanksgiving and asked if she could stay with us and cook dinner with her daughter in our kitchen. We were going out for the holiday dinner, and being new innkeepers, said yes. She arrived at later than expected with a frozen turkey and lots more. We returned home around 8 pm after our evening out, and they were just sitting down to dinner. They left our kitchen spotless and the leftovers were great, but we would never do it again! Luckily it worked out fine and our guests had a delightful reunion." Jacki Stewart, Country Cottage of Langley, Whidbey Island, WA

Christmas stories

"We welcome both children and pets, unlike many B&Bs. We often find the pets to be better behaved than the children, and sometimes the children are better behaved than the adults. But we learn from them all. One Christmas, we hosted guests who were having a hard time financially, and were unable to stay an extra night to see the Christmas parade in historic downtown St. Francisville; their small daughter was crushed. I offered them a free overnight and suggested they repay me when they could. The next morning, our other guests kept thanking me for the Christmas presents. "What Christmas presents?" I asked. I then discovered that this young girl, the one whose family could not afford to stay, had taken the few pennies she did have and provided a present for the guests in each of our cottages -- three peppermints, carefully wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and tied with ribbon. This small child reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas - love, sharing, and generosity of spirit. Are we glad we take children? Sometimes we need to be reminded, but yes, we sure are." Anne Butler, Butler Greenwood Plantation, St. Francisville, LA (For more of Anne's stories, order a copy of her book, Lost And Found At The Plantation Bed And Breakfast.

"We have had guests stay with us at Christmas for the 22 years we've had a B&B, but last year was one of the best. We hosted a young couple -- she came from the Czech Republic, he from Spain. They met at a conference in Texas and English was their only common language. A Christmas Eve blizzard snowed out everyone's plans, so I cooked a holiday dinner for our friends, and invited the guests to have cocktails and dinner with us. They were fascinating, intelligent, and well spoken. All six of us got along extremely well, and we laughed and forgot about all the snow. The next morning we offered our snowshoes to our guests for their first outing, followed hot cocoa and cookies. Truly the meaning of Christmas -- sharing and giving -- but we received so much more just by getting to know them. Wendy Duvall, Country Life B&B, Greenwich, NY

"Our first year as innkeepers, we opened our inn to family -- who had not gathered as a whole family for Christmas in 34 years. It was more like the 12 days of Christmas all rolled into 5 -- with enormous quantities of lasagna, sauerbraten, turkey, pork roast, trimmings, plus endless baked goods and sweets. People came from Florida, Arizona, Maine and more. The inn was decorated with Christmas trees in every room. Before the family get-together, jobs were assigned and meals were planned by nephews, nieces, in-laws and out-laws. Only the great-grandmothers were exempt from an assignment. It was an amazing event, from church and dinner on Christmas eve, to presents and dinner for 40 on Christmas Day, to a party for the kids and quiet late-night chats for the adults, to a costumed murder mystery on the 26th.

"As new innkeepers, this was a really special way to celebrate a wonderful new beginning in our lives. The family said it is one Christmas they will never forget -- a time of love and happiness for the whole family. Since then we have added a grand-niece and had another wedding in the family. It was also the last Christmas that I spent with my mother. This year, we will be open for guests who are visiting relatives in the area or just need a get away of their own to celebrate all the good things of 2003. Elaine & Kevin Conlin, Whalewalk Inn, Eastham, MA

"During Christmas week, we always tell guests that we don't light the fireplace Christmas Eve so that Santa can get down the chimney. They all laugh at that, and then they smile again when they learn he tiptoed up to their rooms and left stockings full of goodies hanging on their doors to find when they get up on Christmas morning. One guest, who has family nearby and has stayed several times, decided he would wait in the living room so he could see Santa. The phone rang, and I told the guest it was Santa, leaving a message that he was running late, and would not arrive at the inn until early morning, but would try to be there before the guests woke up. My guest then decided to go on to bed. Santa arrived a few minutes later and did not get seen!!! (If Santa Claus is not a 'Bama fan' why does he wear a red suit???)" Pat LaGrone, Crimson Inn B&B, Tuscaloosa, AL