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The holidays are just around the corner, and it may be your turn to host the holiday celebrations. Chances are, you will be busy shopping, cleaning, cooking and -- well, trying to figure out where everyone is going to sleep.

If you have only one extra bed and limited space and several guests are planning on spending the night at your place, you might consider seeing if you can get some hotel rooms. Or, you might get yourself an early holiday gift and invest in a futon or two that will last for many holiday seasons to come.

Compared with other contemporary furniture designs, futons are quite economical. You can buy a metal frame and medium-grade mattress for less than a couple hundred dollars. Many of the less expensive futon mattresses come in a standard black or white color. To jazz them up, there is a wealth of low cost covers available in a variety of patterns and colors. The covers are easy to install. Generally, they have a 3-sided zipper. You place the mattress inside the cover, zip it up, and your futon is transformed into a whole new look. Because they zip over the futon mattress, your cover will not slide off of the mattress. Most futon covers are machine washable so you can keep them fresh or switch them out with different covers while the others are in the wash. Because futon covers are available in so many solid colors or print designs, you can easily mix or match or futon covers to fit any interior decorating scheme. Add a few colorful throw pillows and you have created a good looking, yet versatile piece of furniture.

Unless you are getting a high-end futon design with a log or wicker frame, the metal futons do not take up a lot of room. You can tuck them into an alcove, maybe at the end of a hall, or in an empty corner of the living room. You can even put one in your home office without losing a lot of office space. When guests arrive, simply flip the futons out into comfortable double, queen or king-sized beds. Your guests will find them comfortable to sleep on and the next day, it is easy to flip the futon back into a sofa that will conserve space.

After the holidays, you have decorative sofas for your everyday life. And if you have to host next year's festivities, you'll be racing around cooking and cleaning - but you won't need to worry about where your guests will sleep.