Preparing Your Home for the Holidays

The holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy the company of friends and family. They can also be a stressful and overwhelming experience, especially when you’re hosting guests. It can seem like there’s a million things to do, with not nearly enough time to get everything done. Whether you’re hosting a holiday dinner, or preparing to have relatives stay with you overnight, these ideas for preparing your home may make the season a bit merrier.

Ho Ho Housekeeping

As anyone who has hosted guests will agree, cleaning the house is a process that continues right up until the doorbell rings. While you’re sweeping, mopping, and dusting your home, keep an eye out for details that you may overlook during your regular cleaning sessions. Replace burnt-out or dim lightbulbs so your guests will have plenty of light. Clean the baseboards, wash curtains, and give your wooden furniture and floors a quick polish. It’s worth taking a good look at each room, to see what is due for a thorough cleaning or replacement.

Organize and Condense

With more people in the home than usual, you’re going to want to make as much room as possible to accommodate your guests. I recommend going through your pantry and cabinets to remove expired or stale items. Many people use this as an opportunity to donate items that are still good to local food pantries and shelters. I can personally recommend donating extra nonperishable food items to the Holiday Basket Program to benefit the less fortunate. The program will be collecting food, clothing, and toys until December 17th. It’s a great way to help out families in need, while clearing up some much needed space for your guests.

It’s also a good idea to take inventory of things your guests may need during their stay. If you’re hosting overnight guests, do you have enough sheets, towels, and blankets? What condition are they in?  Thinking of these things ahead of time can save you quite a bit of stress once your guests have arrived.

Treat Yourself and Your Home

With all of the work you are doing to prepare your home for guests, you deserve to treat yourself and your home. Use this as an opportunity to give yourself an early present that you’ve had your eye on. Buy a new lamp, surface rug, or even a slow cooker to help with the holiday meal! And don’t be afraid to take a little break, you’ve earned it! Pick out a chore that you dislike, and call in a professional! Have a window cleaning service take care of making the windows sparkle, or even call in a housekeeping service to scrub the floor or deep clean your carpet.

And above all else, remember that the holidays are a time for enjoying the company of loved ones. Give yourself some time to relax, and spend it with the ones you love.

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