Christmas is not far off. If you’re planning on hosting the day at your home, it’s time to start preparing. You don’t want to leave things until the last minute and leave yourself stressed and worried about getting everything done in time.
Here are some steps you can take to help you get ready for a festive holiday at your home.
Make Plans and Develop a Timeline
Start your preparations by sitting down and planning what you need to do before your guests arrive on Christmas Day. Make a checklist you can keep an eye on, so you don’t forget anything vital. Plus, determine how much time each task will likely take you in order to develop a timeline to work towards over the coming weeks. Don’t forget to factor in ordering supplies or waiting for contractors to potentially be available.
Declutter to Make Room for Visitors
If your house is as full of “stuff” as many of our places are these days, you’ll likely want to declutter before Christmas arrives. This is often necessary if you want to have family members or friends stay with you and need to clear out a spare bedroom or other parts of the home for them to sleep in.
Go through everything in a room and think about whether you need to keep every item or not. You’re sure to find plenty of things you can sell, donate, give away, recycle, or trash due to taste changes, kids growing out of things, breakages, or goods being outdated.
Clean Your Place Thoroughly
Cleaning your home thoroughly is another job to spend time on before guests arrive. A deep clean can be done in the lead-up to Christmas. This can prevent you from stressing about it only days before and you can focus on other tasks, such as getting grocery supplies, cooking, or making up bedrooms for guests.
Happily, after you’ve decluttered, it’s much easier to clean effectively as there will be fewer items to navigate around or that will hide dirt and debris. Focus on cleaning your kitchen and bathroom well, especially the oven, stovetop, cupboards, shower or bath, and bathroom cabinets. Plus, deep clean carpets and other flooring, bedrooms, living rooms, and other popular spaces that get used the most in at Christmas.
Add Holiday Cheer with Decorations
To prepare your property for Christmas with guests arriving, you’ll want to add plenty of festive cheer. For example, put up and decorate a Christmas tree, add holiday-themed items to mantles and banisters, and put up some quality outdoor Christmas decorations.
Adding lights to your roof and in your windows will add more holiday cheer. Add some blow-up or electrical Christmas-themed displays to your yard, and maybe add festive decorations to the pathway leading up to your home and its entranceway for added effect.
Get Repairs Around the Property Sorted
Remember to get any repairs around your property sorted before Christmas arrives, too. The last thing you want is to have guests hurt by falling or other unsafe items in and around your home. Also consider checking appliances that may not be operating correctly. When you’re trying to cook for a big group of people, it is important for your appliances to operate. Completing repairs will also make your property look more finished and welcoming.
Take a look around your place and try to notice things such as holes in walls that need patching, mold or mildew issues to work on, and doors and windows that don’t open or close correctly. You may want to get appliances repaired or replaced, ensure TV aerials are working well, and fix or replace loose or broken tiles.
Other ideas to get your home fresh and ready for company are to paint walls or ceilings, add HVAC such as reverse-cycle air-conditioning units or heaters, and replace showerheads, shower curtains, towel rails, taps, and the like.
The Simple Things
Remember lighting in your home. You want your guests to be able to see easily when they’re inside and outside your home, especially if they’re moving about at night.
You need adequate illumination around parking spots, pathways, entranceways, patios, and decks on the outside. And on the inside, you will need lighting in bedrooms, hallways, and other places that don’t currently have plenty of illumination.
Other tips for preparing to have all your family at your home this Christmas include updating bedding and towels, landscaping your yard, and adding more storage so guests can unpack and feel at home.
While hosting Christmas celebrations can be a big undertaking and thus become tiring and stressful, preparing over the coming weeks will make the period easier on you and help you and all your family and friends better enjoy this festive period.
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