Whether you’re hosting a large holiday party, a family dinner or are housing overnight guests, as the song goes, there’s no place like home for the holidays! Getting your home ready to welcome visitors can be hectic when added to wrapping gifts, cooking and decorating but not to worry – we’ve compiled some tips for keeping the home preparation process simple and stress levels low!
Make Decorating a Family Affair
Trimming the Christmas tree is a big undertaking, so consider making this or other decorating projects a family event! Children or grandchildren can hang ornaments or string popcorn while the adults conquer the top of the tree. Play some festive music in the background to get into the holiday mood and you can even have your own tree lighting ceremony!
If you prefer to complete all decorating ahead of time, that doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself. Consider giving the kids a space to decorate as they wish while you work on other tasks. Be sure to keep any baby/pet-proofing in mind as you decorate.
Divide and Conquer Cleaning
Before any of the decorations are hung, some cleaning will need to be done. Whether you make a chore chart for the family or schedule a couple of days a week to conquer cleaning, doing a little bit at a time and delegating some of the responsibilities will help keep stress levels low! Some things to keep in mind:
- Keep holiday home maintenance low by placing doormats at entrances and having some shoe trays ready so that guests don’t track dirt and debris in from outside.
- Make room in your refrigerator for food prep and leftovers, and clear space in the coat closet for when guests arrive.
For more cleaning hacks and to see how you can get some things done while you sleep (really!), read our recent cleaning blog post. For tips on how you can make your Karndean floors sparkle for the holidays, visit our Cleaning & Maintenance pages.
Do What You Can Ahead of Time
Holiday tablescape and coffee bar images via Pinterest
There is plenty you can do ahead of time so that you can enjoy the holiday with family and friends instead of scrambling to get things done at the last minute.
- Set the dinner table
- Prep guest rooms
- Set up a self-serve coffee station or bar area
- Post the WiFi password
- Keep extra toilet paper and toiletries in the bathrooms
If you begin to feel overwhelmed as you prepare your home for the holidays, just remember that your family and friends are there to spend time with you! So be sure you get to enjoy it!
What are some of your favorite holiday home hacks or tips? Share them with us on social media! Happy Holidays!