As a church staff member or volunteer, you know that the holidays are actually double duty for you. Not only are you shopping, baking, and attending events with your family, you’re also planning those events for the people in your church. The 6 weeks or so before Christmas can feel a little overwhelming when planning those events. There likely isn’t time for any major overhauls of processes or locations in your church, but here are 5 simple things you can do that will help improve the experience for all your new guests this Christmas season:

1) Get the carpet cleaned: Pay a company to come in and clean all of your carpets in the weeks leading up to Christmas. You’ll brighten up the feel of the room and also remove that pesky coffee stain that has been there for the last 9 months. Guests notice little things!

2) Use oil diffusers: I once visited a church that smelled like a funeral home. Maybe it was the cleaning chemicals they used or some other flower or paint or something, but regardless of what it was, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Oil diffusers are a simple way to change the scent of a room during a service or event. Don’t forget to appeal to people’s noses during your services!

3) Fresh coat of pain in the lobby: I know, you desperately want to remodel your lobby and guest area to have a cool pallet wall and vintage lights and great coffee, but today, there’s no time for that. There is, however, time to have a painting company or even volunteer come in a put a fresh coat of paint in your lobby and guest area. Even if it’s the same color that you really don’t like, at least it will look fresh and new for the people coming into your church.

4) Add signs outdoors welcoming guests: You know where to go, but do guests? A-Frame Signs are a great way to point guests to the front row parking and easiest entrances. Best of all, you can reuse the sign long after the holidays are over.

5) Fresh flowers: Poinsettias throughout the church are an easy way to spruce up the environment and make everything from your stage to your bathrooms look more festive. At the end of your final Christmas service, you can give them to volunteers as a thank you for all their hard work.

These are all relatively simple things that don’t require engineers, planning committees or building fund campaigns, but can make a quick visual impact on your church this Holiday Season.