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Preparing Your Homes for the Holidays

October 22, 2024

The weather is turning crisp and cold, and the holidays are right around the corner! And while it may be the most wonderful time of the year, for many of us, it’s also when our homes work the hardest. From hosting parties and get-togethers to making a variety of special meals and tasty treats to housing overnight guests–sometimes for long periods of time–we ask a lot of our homes over this season. Get ahead by preparing your home now, so you can enjoy everything the holidays have to offer.

get ready

Start with a good cleaning

 

Clean your house from top to bottom before the busyness starts. While spring cleaning has its place, a good winter cleaning can set you up for the many hours you and your family will spend inside as the days get shorter and colder. Pay special attention to high-traffic areas like bathrooms, the kitchen, and the living room. A clean house is a perfect backdrop for holiday fun.

declutter

Your home will feel much calmer and more spacious if you declutter it now–before you bring out decorations. Donate, sell, or give away unwanted furniture, clothing, home decor, and kitchen items. With less to clean and store, you’ll have more time to focus on your loved ones this holiday season.

check & repair

Before the holidays really get going, make sure your home is in good working order. Here are a few things you should check:

 

  • Appliances. Make any needed repairs or replace your dishwasher, stove, or microwave if necessary. More people in the house and more food being cooked means that these appliances will need to work harder. Make sure they’re ready.

  • The furnace. You should have your furnace checked and serviced once a year, and now is the time!

  • Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. With the colder weather come candles, fires in the fireplace, space heaters, and more, to make the home cozy and comfortable. Make sure your loved ones are safe by checking smoke and CO2 detectors and replacing as necessary.

  • Your fireplace and chimney. Have a professional check your chimney before the year’s first fire. If you have a gas fireplace, make sure gas lines are inspected as well. 

winterize

 

Make sure your house is tucked in for the winter. Drain and cover outside pipes and spigots, clear gutters and downspouts, and clean and store outdoor furniture and yard tools. Seal any drafts around windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping. Change the direction of overhead fans so they spin clockwise and push warm air back down into the room. Bring outdoor plants inside and clear sidewalks and steps. Change air filters and make sure you have any emergency supplies you might need over the winter.

decorate

Pull out your holiday decorations! But don’t just think about pumpkins and ghosts, or fall leaves and wreaths, or the tree and stockings.

  • Pull out cozy textiles like faux fur or wool blankets, chunky knit pillow covers, and thick rugs and runners.

  • Use holiday-scented candles or simmer potpourri on the stove.

  • Make lighting work to your advantage by using candles (real or battery-powered), twinkle lights, and other soft, mood lighting.

 

Remember that sometimes less is more, and you may want to use fewer decorations and let your favorites take center stage. Or you may want to fill every corner with special things you love. Do what makes you and your family happy! Focus on how you want your home to feel and what items you have that bring you joy.

Hosting

if you have overnight guests

Hosting people in your home can make for some great memories…and can be stressful at times. Prepare well for overnight guests–even ones that are staying a while–and you’ll be more relaxed. And they’ll feel at home!

 

  • Do the basics first. Put fresh sheets on the guest bed or inflate the air mattress. Put clean towels and washcloths in the guest bathroom. 
  • Make sure your guests have somewhere to store their clothes and belongings, like some drawers in a dresser or empty hangers in the closet.
  • Add some special touches to the space. A candle and lighter or fresh flowers make for a great welcome.
  • Put some extra toiletries in the bathroom in case they forgot to pack something.
  • Nothing is more welcoming than having your favorite food and drinks waiting for you. Ask your guests what they like in their coffee, what they eat for breakfast, and what special treats they love, and stock up.
  • Place some extra blankets on a chair in the bedroom or at the foot of the bed.

holiday food & your kitchen

If your whole home works harder over the holidays, the kitchen works hardest of all. From making extra food for guests, family, and friends to hosting Thanksgiving Dinner or Christmas Eve Supper, your kitchen will be the busiest place in the house. Get it ready to go.

  • Store or remove anything on the countertops you don’t need to be there. This frees up more space to work. And clean out the fridge and pantry to get them ready for leftovers!
  • Meal plans are your friend. If you have guests or more people in the house than usual, take some of the stress out of the picture by planning what you’ll eat for each meal and for snacks. It doesn’t have to be fancy–in fact, some simple, light meals will probably be a welcome relief for everyone.
  • Make sure you have some extra aprons ready if others want to help out! Think ahead of time what jobs you can delegate: chopping veggies, loading the dishwasher, and setting the table, for example.
  • When it’s time for a big meal like Thanksgiving Dinner, make a detailed schedule ahead of time that includes what needs to be in the oven or on the stove when. This will free up your brain from having to calculate cook times and will ensure that everything is hot and ready to eat when you want it.
  • Simplify your life and make your guests more comfortable by showing them where to find snacks, mugs, breakfast foods, and other things they can help themselves to.

hosting events

One of the biggest pitfalls to hosting a holiday party is thinking that you can do it all. Trying to have a perfectly decorated house, a beautifully set table, a culinary masterpiece for dinner, Pinterest-worthy decor, a masterful playlist, and the most creative activities is a recipe for a burned-out, exhausted host who isn’t enjoying her own party. Instead, prioritize realistically. Think about what is the most important thing for you regarding this event.

  • Is the most important thing that you make the whole meal yourself? Delegate decor and entertainment to someone else.
  • Or is the atmosphere more important than control over the menu? Try a potluck or ask a few people to bring specific food items.
  • Maybe the most important thing is singing Christmas carols after dinner. Print out music for everyone and don’t worry as much about table settings.

The point is, you can’t do it all and still have a good time. But you can do what is most important to you and yours, and end up enjoying yourself a lot more.

 

Prepare as much as you can beforehand. Prioritize what is most important to you. Ask for help whenever you can. And try to be present to enjoy the events you’re hosting as much as possible.