Guest Post: Quick Tips When Preparing for Holiday Guests

Today, please welcome one of my favorite bloggers (and wonderful friend), Tina from The Happy Lil Homemaker. I love what she does on her blog! Be sure to show her some LOVE on Facebook or follow her on Twitter for tons of great tips to help make your house a home.

 

It’s that time of year again. Within a month or so, many of us will have a revolving front door with family and friends visiting.

I’m going to show you how to avoid some of the stress, and be able to enjoy those holidays, while still having a tidy home.

Step one: Planning!

Before your guests start arriving, sit down and make a list of who is visiting and when. This gives you a timetable to follow.

Now ask yourself these questions:

1. Where are they sleeping?
2. Are there any diet restrictions?
3. Are there any activities we can do while they are here?

This will help you be prepared for the actual visit.

Step two: Prepare!

Make a list of each room of your house. Pick a room or two to tackle each day. The whole house should take about a week (without interfering too much with day to day activities).

Get the bedding and towels washed, and put them away.

Get your grocery shopping taken care of.  This will avoid being unprepared when dinner time rolls around.

If kids are visiting, find a few cheap things for them to do, to avoid boredom. I put together little craft sets for the kids. Since they are already put together, it’s easy to pull them out on a whim.  Kids are entertained without the entire craft supply closet being pulled out.

Step three: Maintain!

Spent a few minutes throughout the day doing a “Quick Tidy-up”. Grab a basket, do a quick walk through to pick up things that were left out. This alone will make your home look better.

Final Step: Enjoy!

If you are lucky enough to have friends and family coming to visit….enjoy it! Don’t spend all of your free time cleaning. Do a quick clean up and then enjoy your time with those special people. You’re house won’t fall apart if you wait on a few things. When your visitors leave, you’ll have plenty of time to deep clean the place.

Enjoy!

What are your tips when preparing for holiday guests?