Anyone who has hosted a holiday party, or even just watched someone else host a holiday party, knows that it’s a task that comes with as much stress as it does joy in spending time with family and friends. The stress can especially set in if you’re hosting in-laws, parents, or distant family that you want to make a good impression on. Thankfully, there are several ways in which you can eliminate causes of stress, ensure that everything is prepared in time for all the festivities, and make your home as welcoming as possible for your guests.
Below are a few steps to take to help you prep= your home for holiday guests this season!
Declutter your Space
It can be overwhelming finding a place to start, but turning your eye towards decluttering can be a great way to prime you for prepping the rest of your house! Give yourself plenty of time to declutter – don’t leave this for the last five minutes before guests are scheduled to show up! Specifically, you’ll want to focus the most on public areas and guest rooms. No one (hopefully!) will be examining your attic or the junk drawer in the garage. If you find anything unnecessary on your coffee table, countertops, bedside tables or any other flat surface where things tend to get stacked, take the time to remove it and place is somewhere else either where it won’t be seen for organization later, or if you have extra time, find it a new permanent home! If you find that you’re short on time, or it’s taking a little longer to declutter than you thought, go through and focus on getting rid of dishes or cups, any garbage, scraps of paper (including bills and junk mail) or anything you wouldn’t want your grandma or mother-in-law to see sitting out.
Set Up Some Sleeping Space
If any of your guests will be staying at your home overnight, especially guests that are traveling from far away, take the time to create some extra sleeping spaces and help them feel at home. If your home has a guest room, consider replacing the ceiling fixture with an actual ceiling fan and light combination for extra comfort, and to potentially boost future resale value. This will help your guests to customize the temperature of the room itself without having to worry about messing with the thermostat for the entire home, or setting up fans or keeping multiple blankets on hand. If you need to create extra sleeping space out of a more open area, such as couches or air mattresses in the living room, set up the area with sheets and extra pillows to make it as comfortable as possible. Add some nightlights in the hallways leading to the bathroom and kitchen to help illuminate the space for guests who may be unfamiliar with navigating your home in the dark.
Stock Up On Supplies
Always ensure that you have extra bathroom supplies and try to make sure that they are easy for your guests to find without digging through cabinets and drawers. For example, you’ll want to place items such as towels, toilet paper, and toiletries on open shelves. In the event that you don’t have enough wall space for shelving, utilize open baskets instead and place these items in those, spreading them out around the bathroom on counters, on the toilet tank, or in other easy to access places.
Thank you for reading our real estate and homeowner’s blog. We are Weichert Realtors – Barton Harris & Co. and we’re happy to have helped you learn more how to prep your home for holiday guests.
