Surviving the Holidays: Crucial Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Guests

Many people think of Christmas as an exciting time of year filled with fun times and holiday cheer where families and friends can enjoy each other’s company. However, those planning these celebrations often associate the holidays with stress and tension. With Christmas shopping, decorating, and cooking, there are plenty of tasks that create stress and chaos throughout the holidays. Not to mention, there’s a considerable amount of cleaning and home preparation needed to accommodate guests. However, there are helpful tips that will alleviate stress and facilitate the process of preparing your home for guests to create the optimum holiday experience for you, your friends and family.

 Have the furnace inspected and sweep the chimney before you run the heat or light a fire.

 Make the small repairs you have been putting off. Inspect the house and fix leaky faucets, clogged drains, cracked windows, creaky door hinges, and loose doorknobs.

 Brighten up a dull front door with glossy paint or a holiday wreath.

 Make sure the outside lights are on and bright for guests arriving at night.

 Sweep up leaves from the yard, sidewalk, or driveway so that guests don’t track it into the house.

 Set up coat hooks and a shoe rack to keep the entry way, hallway and stairs free of clutter.

 Replace an old, worn doormat with a fresh new one. This not only helps the home look more welcoming, but also protects the carpets from dirty feet.

 Invest in tables to provide plenty of counter space for drinks, and make sure you have plenty of coasters!

Place newspapers, DVDs, games, and toys in boxes or attractive baskets to eliminate clutter around the house.

 Be sure to have enough seating and dishes for every guest, and plan for unexpected guests. Folded chairs are great for additional seating because they can be folded up and stacked neatly when not being used.

 Prepare for overnight guests. Provide hangars for clothes, clean the sheets, and leave an open area for suitcases and bags. Inflatable mattresses are nice and comfortable if there are not enough beds for everyone. Leave a magazine or book on the nightstand for some reading options before bed, and provide lighting that can be turned off by the bed.

 Provide extra blankets and pillows for guests.

 Thoroughly clean the bathrooms. Discard empty bottles of toiletries, and put out a fresh bar of soap, towels, shower gel, and shampoo. Put extra toilet paper in bathrooms.

 Deep clean your refrigerator and freezer. Remove any food that is past its use-by date. Throw out what you don’t need and eat up what you can to provide room for the holiday feast. Make basic cooking ingredients easy to find.

 Have coffee, tea, orange juice, milk, and necessary sweeteners or cream easily accessible for mornings.

 De-clutter and thoroughly clean all surfaces a few days before your guests are scheduled to arrive and maintain it. This includes dusting counter tops, tables, window seals, fan blades, and baseboards; cleaning all glass with Windex; cleaning out closets; vacuuming all carpets in the house; and making sure that all other surfaces, sinks, bathrooms, and floors are sparkling.

 Take an inventory of your cleaning supplies and make sure you have essential supplies, including a sufficient amount of washing liquid, dishwasher tablets, soap powder, and carpet shampoo.

 Light scented holiday candles on tables, the mantle, and hearth to create a warm glow to your home once the guests arrive.

While some of these tasks might sound daunting and time consuming, they will make your home inviting and help you avoid dealing with last minute issues that could arise while guests are there. It is important to remember that you don’t have to take on these tasks all on your own. Delegate certain chores like vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning the bathrooms to other family members. Most importantly, don’t wait until the last minute. You can start taking care of some of these tasks immediately to avoid last minute chaos.