6 Tips for Preparing for the Holiday Season Ahead

The world is lit up with anticipation of the holiday season ahead. Menus are in the planning stages and guest lists are forming. This is the time of year when traditions are born that last for a lifetime of beautiful memories.

So, it’s no surprise that preparing for the holiday season is a big deal for a lot of people. Furthermore, there are so many events and errands that must be given your attention that it quickly gets overwhelming.

That’s when it’s time to slow down and take a look at the basics of holiday preparation. The point being, when the basic tasks are under control, the rest goes more smoothly. Keep reading for some suggestions to flow smoothly and enjoyable through the holiday season ahead.

Holiday Season Preparation

Clean • Sparkle • Shine Throughout

Get the entire family in on the job of cleaning, sparkling, and shining every area of your home. Doing this ahead of time makes it much easier to maintain throughout the holiday season.

However, if you thought you were going to have a quiet Christmas alone and all of a sudden someone calls and announces their arrival, here’s a list to tidy up quickly.

1. Turn on the lights and brush down the cobwebs.
2. Vacuum the living room, kitchen, hallways, and guest room.
3. Set out guest toiletries and towels in the bathroom.
4. Do the dishes and wipe down the counters in the kitchen.
5. Routinely change guest room sheets when they leave so they’re ready for the next guest.

Infuse Your Home with Traditional Fragrances

Amazingly, the right fragrances in your home can change the feel from ordinary to spectacular. So, infuse your home with the fragrances of the season with sprigs of freshly cut evergreens, cinnamon sticks, and scented candles. Or, channel the 80s with large shiny bowls of potpourri. Some like to bring out the essential oils and warmers. Finally, potted plants keep the air fresher and if you have a live holiday tree, it will fill the entire house with its fresh scent.

Baby & Pet Proof Your Seasonal Decorations

Low hanging ornaments easily break and get into little hands and paws and cause damage. So, follow these guidelines for a safer holiday season for your pets and small children.

1. Avoid sparkling tinsels and ribbons that might cause choking.
2. Use shatterproof ornaments on branches within reach of the little paws or hands.
3. Keep toxic holiday plants out of reach. These include but are not limited to holly or holly berries and mistletoe.
4. Watch your candle placement and never leave an open flame where a child or pet might get curious and reach for it.

Holiday Season Menu Planning

Holiday season menu planning in advance makes the entire season more enjoyable for you. It makes it easier to shop the sales and chart out your shopping trips for food and supplies for the holiday meals. No one enjoys the despair when an ingredient is found missing at the last minute.

What’s more, planning your menus in advance takes a huge chunk of stress out of meal preparation so that you can relax and have fun with your family and guests.

Vintage • Heritage • Table Decor

Remember that vintage or heritage flatware and china that’s sitting inside the china hutch or packed into tubs in the garage for most of the year? Now is the time to bring it out. The holiday season is when everyone goes full-flare with their table decor. From Thanksgiving to the New Year, keep your most prized dishes on hand to keep the holiday spirits high.

Prepare for Unexpected Holiday Guests

Unexpected holiday guests might arrive at any time! Of course, you want to make them feel as welcome as possible. First, one way to do this is to keep inexpensive but thoughtful gifts on hand for such an occasion. Next, if you’ve already done your clean, sparkle, and shine, your house is already in shape so no worries there.

Now all you need to do is to be sure there are enough beds for everyone. Some people have guest rooms but if you don’t, get creative with double-duty pieces of furniture such as a pull-out couch or daybed. That’s planning ahead!

All Images Courtesy of Canva.

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