The reason I am asking this is because I feel I do...
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Now, I know that I live somewhere which is dark and often cold, wet and miserable during the winter months and guests are therefore less likely to be cheerful than in the summer, yet I have always found Xmas/New Year to be a particularly problematic period compared to the rest of the winter.
Perhaps it's because guests spending time away from family and friends at this time are more likely to be lonely and unhappy. But, what about the ones that have purposely chosen to travel elsewhere rather than be with friends and family? What about the guests who come from cultures where they don't celebrate Xmas, or have a different New Year, and therefore it's no big deal?
While I have had some lovely guests stay over this period, every single year, without fail, I get problematic guests and the ratio of bad v good guests shoot up and my ratings go down.
What is this about?
And yes, I have tried the Xmas cards, gifts, treats etc. to make them feel more at home, but the type of problematic guests I am talking about rarely appreciate these gestures. In fact, many will leave the cards unopened, throw the gifts and treats in the bin etc. and certainly not bother thanking me or mentioning it in their review...