The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season is the time when families travel and spend time with each other. Chances are this is the year where you will be hosting the holiday activities and you will need to prepare your home for holiday guests.
Having family over for the holidays is by far my favorite part of the festivities. Family stories, fun music, good food, and children playing are what make the holidays special.
Even in those times when being with family isn’t perfect and you have to cope, spending time with family is priceless. Our time on this earth is not guaranteed, therefore we should cherish our family and friends and the time we have to spend with them.
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How to Prepare Your House for Holiday Guests
Whether you know you are hosting the family Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas festivities or not, it is a good idea to prepare your house for holiday guests.
Holiday guests are not always planned. You never know when a surprise relative or friend will need a place to stay when visiting for the holidays.
Getting your house prepared for overnight guests will ensure that your guests are happy and you can enjoy your time without having to run out to get last-minute supplies.
Declutter Your Home
The first step to getting your home ready for holiday guests is to clean and declutter your home. This is the time to mop, clean ceiling fans, dust, vacuum, and wash sheets and blankets.
You will be accumulating new items during the holidays and your guests will bring in extra items. Make sure you have removed all unneeded clutter from your living space.
Prepare Your Kitchen
Your kitchen is the hub of the house. This is especially true during the holidays. The majority of your family holiday activities will be centered around food.
To prepare your kitchen for holiday guests make sure you have taken the following steps.
Deep Clean Your Kitchen
This is the perfect time to give your kitchen a deep clean. Make sure that all appliances are clean and working. Go through your refrigerator and freezer and make sure they are clean and tidy.
Go the extra mile and degrease any surfaces that may have grease buildup from cooking. And don’t forget to clean the stove and the microwave.
Keep Pantry Stocked with Essentials
You or someone in your home will be doing lots of cooking over the holiday season. Make sure that your pantry is stocked with essentials.
You should always have things like coffee, tea, sugar, creamer, quick breakfast items, and snacks available.
Check Appliances
Make sure all of your kitchen appliances are in good condition and working. This is not the time to pull out your mixer and find out that it no longer works.
It also is a good idea to have any major appliances serviced. We have had a Thanksgiving where the stove has stopped working and a Christmas where the dishwasher died.
Prepare Sleeping Areas
Chances are very good that you will have overnight guests during the holidays. Depending on the size of your family, you should be prepared to have multiple sleeping areas available.
Prepare Your Guest Bedroom
If you have a guest bedroom in your home, make sure it is clean and tidy for your holiday guests. You can also add a few finishing touches to make it perfect for the holidays.
Here are a few tips to help you prepare your guest room for the holidays.
Guest Room Mattress – Be sure to check your guest room mattress to make sure it is comfortable. If you wouldn’t want to sleep on it don’t allow your guests to sleep on it. Try adding a mattress topper or grabbing an affordable new mattress.
Wifi password – Make sure that your guests always have your home’s wifi password handy. Add it to a card on the nightstand or a cute chalkboard sign on the wall or dresser.
Extra Blankets & Bed Linen – Make sure you have lots of extra blankets, clean sheets, pillowcases, and comforters handy.
Pillows – Keep a variety of pillows options available to ensure that your guests have a good night’s sleep.
Multiport USB Charger – Your guests are sure to have a phone and other devices that will need to charge. Adding a multiport USB charger will keep them from crawling around on the floor trying to find a wall outlet.
Laundry Basket – Add a laundry basket to help your guests with managing their clothes.
Extra Towels – Make sure you have plenty of towels on hand for your guests. You can choose festive holiday colors or colors that match your room decor. (Wash new towels before adding to your guest room.)
Floor-length mirror – A floor-length mirror will add beauty and function to your guest room.
Luggage Stand – Give your guest an amenity of a hotel by adding a luggage stand to your guest room. They won’t expect this but they will thank you for it.
Bluetooth Speaker – Try adding a Bluetooth speaker to the nightstand or dresser of your guest room. Your guests will enjoy being able to listen to their favorite playlists in their room.
Water & Snacks – Grab a cute basket and fill it with bottled water and a few snacks. Your guests will enjoy the convenience of having these items right in their room.
Night lights – Your guests will need to move around at night to the bathroom and maybe even the kitchen. Add night lights to your home to guide them in the dark.
Fan – If your room doesn’t have a ceiling fan, adding a fan to the room will ensure that your guest can cool off if needed.
Toiletry Basket – For the ultimate final touch create a toiletry basket for your guests. Fill a basket with things like Kleenex, toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, eye mask, makeup wipes, Tylenol, Tums, lotion, deodorant, and mints.
You can grab travel sizes of these items from your local Walmart, Target, or CVS.
Plan Other Sleep Areas
If you do not have a guest bedroom or if you have more guests then rooms be sure to prepare other sleeping areas. This can be a simple as making sure you have air mattresses and lots of extra blanks available.
If you have a sleeper sofa, be sure that they have been cleaned and you have fresh sheets and blanks ready when needed.
Stock the Guest Bathroom
Whether you have a guest bathroom or a shared bathroom you will need to ensure that you prepare your bathroom for your holiday guests. Be sure that it is clean and had the following essentials.
Toilet paper – You should always have lots of extra toilet paper handy for your guests. You can add a decorative holder to add a nice touch.
Towels and washcloths – Keep plenty of towels and washcloths in your guest bathroom. You can store them in a basket or a wall mount like this.
Room spray – Your guest bathroom should be equipped with a nice room spray or you can even try this to make your guests comfortable.
Plunger – Make sure that there is a plunger in the bathroom in case an unfortunate accident occurs.
Shower organizer – Your guests will have their own items that they will need to store in the bathroom. Provide them with a shower organizer to keep everything nice and neat.
Robe/Towel hooks – Add a touch of convenience to your bathroom by adding hooks for your guests to hang their robes and wet towels.
Family Room/Living Room
The family room area of your home will be the busiest area of your home next to the kitchen. You will be watching football games, watching movies, unwrapping gifts and even taking naps.
Here are a few tips to help you prep your family room for your holiday guests.
Movie/TV Entertainment – Grab an Amazon Firestick and put it on your TV and your family will be ready for movies. You’ll be able to stream almost any type of movies and TV shows your family is in the mood for.
Extra Blankets – This is another area of the house where you will want to have lots of soft and warm blankets. Everyone will want to grab a blanket at movie time.
Welcome to Our Home!
By following the tips above your home will be stocked and prepared to welcome planned and unplanned guests for the holidays.
Leave a comment and share how you prepare for holiday guests.
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