The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. While November and December may feel very far away, it’s actually just around the corner. It seems as though Thanksgiving and Christmas time comes earlier every single year as we mature. Even though the time is near, it’s never too early to start getting your home ready for the festive season.
Holiday planning can be so much fun and exciting. It feels amazing to think about the food you’ll cook and the memories you’ll make with close friends and family members. Our home is where we gather to eat, play, live, rest, work, entertain, and celebrate together. But let’s be honest, preparing our homes for the holidays can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if you wait until the last minute to prepare. But with proper planning, you can experience some downtime without any worries.
The holidays are very eventful to say the least. You’ve got guests to welcome, turkeys to carve, trees to trim, a home to decorate, and so much more. Let’s declutter, purge, organize and style your space well before the holidays arrive. I’m going to help you set a gorgeous scene and backdrop for this year’s festivities.
Get Your Kitchen Organized For The Season
Deep clean and organize every inch of your kitchen (and house). If doing this makes you feel stressed out in any way, you should hire a professional cleaning company and home organizer if you can afford to do so. Thinking about all the messes that will occur while hosting family and friends for Thanksgiving and Christmas is enough to give you anxiety. So to lessen the stress, eliminate holiday cleaning by calling in the pros and dividing up tasks into doable segments for them (and you if necessary).
Start with deep cleaning your home in phases starting with one room at a time if doing this alone. This way, you can simply do a quick freshen up as the holidays near. Doing this will save you so much time and energy. Since the kitchen will get the most action, here’s what you should do.
- Organize all kitchen cabinets. Wipe down every cabinet, baseboards, and fixtures to remove stains, debris, cobwebs, etc. Make sure all your pots and pans are in good condition and clean. Purchase new pots, pans, dishes etc if needed. Replace blown light bulbs and touch up paint in all high traffic areas.
- Clean out the fridge and stove. Get rid of any expired foods to make room for more. Then make lists of all the things you will need for your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
- Declutter, purge and restock your pantry (and fridge) because this will help you stay organized so you can spend less time looking for ingredients and more time preparing delicious meals. Organize your spices and sauces to make it easy for you to find what you need beforehand.
- Next, check your equipment to ensure its functioning properly. Sharpen your knives because dull knives can slow your prep work and you’ll be doing more work than necessary if you don’t.
- Finally, make a list of everything you need because when it comes to cooking, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the holiday rush. Doing this will ensure you get all the essential ingredients needed for your feast.
Preparing Your Home For Overnight Guests
Making sure your guests feel at ease is especially important during the holiday season. You never want your family and friends to feel anything other than relaxed and welcomed when visiting your home. It’s important to create a calming atmosphere for all who enter. If you’re unsure how to do this, no problem – I got you!
- Prepare each bed with clean, fresh, soft linen and make sure there are a lot of white towels available for them to use. If they have traveled a long way, be sure to put a television in all your guest suites just in case they need some time to unwind and relax.
- Place snacks, chocolate, bottles of water and fresh flowers on the nightstand (and bathroom sink). You can even include a basket near the bed with a bible, a few magazines and some pens & paper inside of it.
- Add motion-activated night lights in hallways, bathrooms, and bedrooms to ensure safe passage in the night because they don’t know how to navigate through your home as well as you do.
- Provide them with wireless phone chargers along with the wifi password by leaving a written copy of it on the nightstand next to the bed.
- Add some extra toilet paper, an iron, shower essentials, hygiene & cleaning products, and extra towels inside the bathroom cabinet (basket or floating shelves) so your guest can find things easily. Lastly, don’t forget to make sure every bathroom has a plunger and toilet brush to avoid embarrassment.
Set The Mood And Create A Festive Vibe
If your budget allows you to provide your guests with small holiday gifts, then by all means splurge a little on them. A great way to eliminate added stress is to hire a cleaning service a day or two before your holiday guests arrive. And yes, I’m mentioning this again because it needs to be said. Don’t feel guilty about outsourcing this task. You will have enough on your plate to do.
Set the holiday mood by adding seasonal decor throughout your home, such as extravagant tablescapes in the dining room, garland along the fireplace, banisters & doorways, and adorn your front door(s) with embellished wreaths to enhance your home’s curb appeal. If decorating and styling your home for the holidays is not your thing, you should schedule a complimentary discovery call with a professional design firm like THE SAVVY ID Interior Design to elevate your home life.
Make your guests feel welcomed and loved by pulling out the red carpet for them. The holidays are meant for making lasting memories with the ones you love, not stressing out about last minute details that we all have experienced before. Having a holiday ready home is a wonderful and rewarding gift for you and your expected guests. Especially if you start planning and preparing for it today. Now it’s up to you to make the commitment to see this all the way through. Don’t worry you got this!
God bless and Happy holidays from my family to yours!