Holiday Entertaining Tips for Your Home

Entertaining through the holidays can be stressful, but it can be a little less overwhelming with these holiday entertaining tips.

Fun fact: the winter solstice is what lead there to be so many holidays around this time of year. And the “fun” in that fact comes with a lot of celebration for those holidays.

Of course, you love spending time with your friends and family through all of these events, but prepping all of the food and getting the house ready to entertain takes a lot of energy.

With these tips, you can put on the perfect event without pulling your hair out.

1.Prepping Your Home

Many homeowners dread having to clean their homes in preparation for entertaining. The key here is to focus on the areas your guests will see.

Start with the living room, dining room, and bathroom, and then move into the kitchen.

If you’re not having guests stay at your house, there’s no shame in designating a room to hold all of the clutter you don’t have time to deal with. Put it all in that room, close the door, and voila! “Clean” house for your gathering.

When it comes to preparing your home exterior for people to visit, do yourself a favor by choosing home exterior products, like siding and windows, that are low maintenance and easy to keep looking nice.

2.Assign Roles Where You Can

No one says you have to take on the challenge of hosting alone. Assign jobs out to family and friends to make the day more enjoyable for everyone.

Ask guests who can to bring side dishes, appetizers, or desserts. Just make sure you’re all on the same page before you start cooking.

Assign different cleaning and preparation tasks to different members of your family. Make a list of the “day of” tasks that need to be done, like stocking a drink cooler or setting the table. Assign a few tasks to each person so no one gets overwhelmed.

3.Welcoming Entryway

Creating a welcoming entry way means you don’t have to step away from your other hosting duties to explain where people can put their coats, shoes, etc.

Pick up a cute sign for the door that tells guests to come on in so you don’t have to tend to the door.

Clear out your coat closet, and make sure it’s stocked with plenty of hangers. If you don’t have a coat closet, a simple coat rack by the door provides a clear place to hang up coats.

If you want people to take off their shoes, provide a clear space to do so. You can even put a pair or two of your shoes there to set the example.

4.Family Holiday Entertaining Tips

Hosting doesn’t get easier when your family is a mix of age groups. How do you make the event friendly to adults, teenagers, small children, and maybe even babies?

Drinks

Save room in your fridge by setting up a drink area suited for all ages. On top of the table, put the “adult” beverages either in a cooler or in buckets of ice. This way, the little kids can’t reach them.

Keep sodas and a bucket of ice on the table, too, so smaller children need to ask for permission. On the floor, set up a bucket or cooler full of parent-approved drinks for the kids, like juice boxes.

Entertainment

If you’re looking for fun that gets the whole family involved, pull out a few board games and have a surface cleared to play them on.

If you want to let the adults catch up while the kids are entertained, though, consider setting up a room just for the kids with holiday movies and toys.

Oh, Baby

If a new little member of the family was just welcomed into the world, they might need some special accommodations. Clean up one room away from the hustle and bustle of the celebration, like a bedroom or home office.

When the parents arrive, let them know that they can use that room if they need to change or feed the baby, or if they just need a quiet space.

5.Give Yourself a Break

Holiday entertaining is a lot of work. Don’t be afraid to sneak off for a quiet moment alone during a party.

64% of people report feeling “holiday blues.” One way to help with that is to keep your expectations realistic for entertaining.

Don’t beat yourself up if the event doesn’t go exactly as you planned. Bringing family and friends together on its own is enough.

Happy Holidays!

Hopefully these holiday entertaining tips can bring you some peace of mind through this holiday season.

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They can help you create an AWSome home exterior you’re proud to show off. Contact them today for a FREE in-home estimate.