The holidays are always exciting – exchanging gifts, enjoying delicious meals, and spending time with family are all part of many people’s holiday traditions. However, the season can be stressful if you are hosting any visitors from out of town.
Having friends or family stay in your guest room is a great way to cram in some extra time with them and save money on lodging, but it can also be messy, expensive, and unpredictable.
Here are some of our top tips to help you survive the holidays as a host.
Table of Contents
1) Timing is Everything
If you have multiple guests staying the night, be sure to coordinate which guests arrive when. This way, you can handle kindly accommodating everybody. Having everyone arrive at once can complicate the process and make the house feel cramped. Try to arrange for some guests to arrive in the morning, and some in the afternoon and evening, with a few hours in between.
Not only does this make the welcoming process easier, but it also gives you time to catch up with each set of visitors as they enter. Help your parents unload their bags from the car and enjoy a cup of coffee and good conversation before rushing off to help the next guests.
Convertible Furniture
With guests staying the night during the holidays, you are bound to host a great meal at some point. Cooking and setting the food out may be simple with the usual few residents, but with a house full of guests, it can quickly lead to chaos. This is why it is essential to find multiple uses for your furniture pieces. With these convertible furniture hacks, even the tiniest apartment can host a beautiful holiday feast.
One unusual, but incredibly useful hack is to use craft or supply carts as a bar cart. Set up your array of wine and liquor with glasses, ice, and garnishes on a handy rolling craft cart. Wrap it in tinsel or twinkly lights to make it look extra festive.
Another great convertible furniture option is a converted planter. You can use big planters and pots as ice buckets for beer and soda. This way, you don’t have to mess with a massive cooler taking up space.
Noise-less Cleaning Methods
One massive consideration when hosting holiday guests is the mess. You’ll want to tidy each day to keep the place looking fresh and clean, but many cleaning methods are loud and cumbersome. Vacuuming in the morning or evening wakes up guests. This is why seasoned hosts recommend keeping a broom and wet wipes on hand.
Stock up on wet wipes and store them in bathrooms and the kitchen. This way, you can casually sanitize and tidy a few times a day. Stow your broom or dust pan behind living room furniture so that you can do a quick sweep or two each night to keep things looking clean.
Festive Arrangements
Keep your guests in the holiday spirit with some simple and functional decorations. Rather than make them find the coffee, hang your Keurig cups from a miniature Christmas tree. Set out some holiday hand towels. You can even place a holiday bow and personalized gift tag on your guests pillow. These functional decorations help make your guests feel at home and in the festive spirit.
The Bottom Line
However you choose to enjoy the holidays, these tips can help you host and enjoy your guests. Try adjusting arrival times, converting some of your furniture, stocking up on fast and easy cleaning supplies, and creating themed holiday arrangements. These allow you to free up your time and keep a clean, stress free, spacious holiday party with your loved ones.
