5 Tips to Get Your Home Holiday Ready

Whether opening gifts around your grandparents’ fireplace or baking cookies in your mom’s kitchen, family homes are often the setting of our favorite holiday memories. Holiday hosts strive to create a warm, welcoming and comfortable atmosphere that radiates the spirit of the season. However, with family and friends in and out of your home all season long, it’s hard to ensure everyone gets the special treatment they deserve when there’s so much to get done. Before your guests arrive, try these 5 easy tips to prepare your home for the holidays and ensure you’ll be the host with the most all season long.

Plan ahead.

The days can slip away from us during the most wonderful time of the year, so don’t leave big chores until the last minute. If your relatives plan to stay the night, be sure to get a head count to ensure you have clean sheets, towels, and comfortable sleeping arrangements ready for them. If you’re serving a meal, prepare your menu and grocery list well in advance, and consider completing any food prep like chopping vegetables or making sauces a day ahead. If children are on your guest list, organize an easy craft, game, or holiday movie to entertain them while their parents enjoy some well-deserved R and R.

Organize your space.

With the influx of guests and gifts heading your way, it’s best to make sure you declutter beforehand. Make sure your pots, pans and utensils are organized to avoid scrambling for the right tools while roasting the perfect turkey. Clear old coats out of the closets to ensure everything has a neat place when your guests come in from the cold. When you come across unwanted items, consider finding a donation center near you that accepts clothes, shoes, and home goods, and give back to your community while getting your home in tip-top shape.

Make it easy to keep clean.

If you can’t rid your home of streaky dishes, soap scum on shower doors and buildup around faucets, you’re not alone. It’s always difficult to stay on top of a tidy home – especially in the chaos of the holiday season – but the good news is a fix may be easier than you think. These irksome issues are all symptoms of hard water, which is simply tap water that has too much calcium and magnesium. Instead of nonstop cleaning, consider investing in a water softener to keep these problems (and others, like dry skin and hair) at bay.

Stock up.

Worried about running out of dish soap while cleaning up your holiday feast or missing the last cup of sugar to finish your family’s favorite pie? When our schedules are full of holiday parties and tree trimmings, little chores like buying household supplies can slip through the cracks. On your next grocery trip, consider doubling up on your family staples to avoid a sticky situation down the line. Remember to stock not only your pantry, but your toiletries and cleaning supplies as well to cover all your bases when your guests arrive.

It’s all in the details.

Holiday magic is as much in the tiny ribbons, warm aromas, and home-cooked meals as it is the piles of presents and towering tree. If you want to find little ways to elevate your home, liven up your decoration with real garland and live poinsettias, make a playlist of all your favorite holiday classics to set the ambiance, or make a simmer pot by keeping water, rosemary, cinnamon and citrus in a pot on low heat on your stove to bring a seasonal scent to your home. Including festive touches will make guests who traveled near and far feel like they never left home.

When you find yourself racing with the clock to wrap gifts, clean the house and prepare a feast, you might forget to enjoy the holiday yourself. Take time now to get organized, plan ahead, and create a holiday-worthy home so you can sit back and relax when all the fun begins.