The holiday season brings so many fun and exciting activities and events to enjoy with family and friends. And for many, that means hosting holiday parties and family meals to help bring friends and family together during such a special time of year. While this may be the most wonderful time of year, it can also be a very stressful time of year, especially for the hostess! Take time now to organize and prepare your home for the holidays to help you actually enjoy all of your hard work!

Whether you enjoy perfecting your grandmother’s homemade pies, turning your home into a winter wonderland, or hosting your famous annual holiday party, having an organized home will make you feel like you have easily mastered the holiday season! Try these 7 tips to organize and prepare your home for the holidays!

Now is the perfect time to sit down with a calendar and plan out all holiday meals and parties you plan to host at your home. For holiday meals, coordinate with family and friends now to make sure everyone is on the same page for the day and time you plan to host your meal. Communicating in advance also allows adequate time for out-of-town guests to make travel preparations if necessary..

If you plan to host out-of-town guests at your home during the holidays, politely communicate how long you are comfortable having them stay at your home. This allows your guests to plan accordingly but can help prevent guests from overstaying their welcome! Knowing your guest’s exact travel dates will also help you know how many meals you should plan during their stay, and any additional activities..

If you want to start new holiday traditions this year by hosting a holiday party for the first time, here are a few of our favorite types of holiday parties!

• Friendsgiving Dinner Party 
• White Elephant Gift Exchange Christmas Party
• Christmas Cookie Exchange Party 
• Ugly Christmas Sweater Dinner Party 
• Classic Christmas Cocktail Party
• Weekend Brunch with Holiday Crafts for All Ages

Now that you have your party date planned, coordinate with your partner to determine who you will invite to your holiday party. The sooner you determine your guest list, the faster you can send holiday invitations to help ensure a greater turnout before people’s calendars begin to fill up!

Create a guest list spreadsheet online using something like Google Sheets to make it easy to update your guest list names and addresses from your phone, tablet, or computer. If you plan to have a printer address your invitations, you will already have a digital list ready to send!

Once you complete your guest list, order your holiday party invitations! If you prefer the ease of a pre-designed invitation, try sites like Shutterfly or Minted to conveniently order and customize the perfect invitation for your event! If you want a completely hassle-free experience, Shutterfly will address and mail your invitations for you! If you prefer to address your envelopes, don’t forget to pick up holiday-themed stamps for an extra special touch!

Make sure to include the following information on your invitations:

• Type of Party: Ugly Christmas Sweater Dinner Party or White Elephant Gift Exchange
• Date and Time
• Location
• RSVP Information 
• Attire, if necessary 
• Adults Only, if applicable 
• Specific details if guests are asked to bring something. For example, if hosting a White Elephant Gift exchange, include a price limit for the gift and if there is a gift theme such as “stock the bar” or “board games.”

Create separate menus for holiday meals and parties. If family members or friends bring a dish for the holiday meals, create a group message or online spreadsheet to coordinate who is bringing what dish. As you make your menu, include specific ingredients needed for each dish. If some items can be made ahead of time, create a cooking and baking schedule for the days leading up to the meal to keep your kitchen running as smoothly as possible!

If you plan to cater anything for your holiday meals or party, contact the caterer now to book them for the event. Caterers book out very early, and some restaurants only allow so many pre-orders of fully-cooked turkeys, desserts, and side dishes.

While this particular activity may seem a bit premature, you will thank yourself later that you have completed this now. For holiday meals, assess how many seats you have for guests and determine if you need to rent any additional tables and chairs. For holiday parties with a large guest list, renting a few cocktail tables might be helpful. 

When planning seated meals, get creative with table décor and custom place settings to help make each of your guests feel special. Here are a few ways you can up your table décor this year!

• Purchase holiday placemats, linen napkins, and napkin rings that coordinate with your dishes and stemware 
• Incorporate a decorative table runner or tablecloth 
• Make or purchase custom place cards to help guests easily find their place at the table 
• Add candles, greenery, and holiday-specific items such as pumpkins or holly berries to the center of your table 

Have a separate kids’ table complete with a holiday-themed coloring tablecloth, crayons, and a holiday cookie with their name as their place card. 

Now that you have planned holiday meals and events, it’s time to start preparing your home by taking inventory! Knowing what you have in your kitchen, pantry, and back stock will save you time and prevent purchasing duplicate ingredients or supplies. If you need additional items, you will have plenty of time to purchase what you need or rent from a catering company before your holiday meals or parties.

Make a note of what serving dishes and cookware will be used for each appetizer, dish, and dessert. The last thing you need while preparing your pie the day before Thanksgiving is to realize you broke your pie dish last year and never replaced it. If you are going to use your china and silverware, make sure you have enough place settings for your invited number of guests. The same applies to bar glasses. If you plan to serve red and white wine, ensure you have the appropriate number of wine glasses available for your guests.

Here are a few kitchen and entertaining staples every hostess should have on hand for the holidays:

Clean out and organize your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Note any ingredients you already have plenty of (flour, sugar, spices, etc.) to prevent purchasing double! Throw out anything that has expired and wipe down the refrigerator shelves to clean off anything that has spilled.

In the weeks leading up to your first holiday meal or party, try to use anything in your refrigerator or freezer that you won’t need for that meal. This will help make room for all the ingredients you need for your holiday meals and any dishes you make ahead of time. And, of course, leftovers!

Clean or polish all serving dishes, china, utensils, and bar glasses you plan to use for your holiday meals or parties. This will help you take a mental note of exactly what you plan to use and prevent any last-minute polishing or cleaning jobs on the day of the meal.

Next, do a quick layout of where you plan to serve everything and make designated stations for beverages, appetizers, the main course, and dessert. If you plan a buffet on the kitchen island, make sure all your trays and dishes fit. If they don’t, determine where the overflow items will go.

When setting formal place settings for each guest, set one place setting now to finalize your vision. Take a photo of the place setting so a family member can help complete this task closer to the day. This will help take something off your plate closer to your holiday meal.

Halloween is over, and it is officially the holiday season! Now is the time to pull out your holiday décor and transform your beautiful home! Whether you enjoy adding even more fall decorations to prepare for Thanksgiving or like to skip straight to Christmas, make sure you stay organized early to prevent clutter and chaos later! 

Sort Through All Holiday Décor

Pull out all of your holiday totes and decide what you still love and what you want to get rid of. Set aside a day to just knock this task out. Otherwise, you will have a cluttered mess just piling up around the house. Consider donating to a local church for anything you want to get rid of. They will know of a family in need who would really enjoy some holiday cheer! Or, donate to a local nursing home to help bring the holiday spirit to their residents.

Once you have sorted through your holiday décor, hit the stores to purchase any additional décor items you need to decorate your beautiful home!

Once you have everything you need, start decorating!

Prepare the Entryway

Your front porch and entryway are the first things your guests see as they arrive at your home! Help them feel the holiday spirit as soon as they walk into your home by decorating the entryway! 

Change out your door mats and door wreath, and add a holiday welcome sign to your porch. For Thanksgiving, decorate the porch with pumpkins and gourds or add a whimsical Santa Clause or Nutcracker for Christmas. 

Once inside the home, decorate your entry table with festive décor and include one of your favorite holiday scents in your diffuser or wall plug-in to make it smell like the holidays!

Hosting guests overnight is a joy but can also feel overwhelming if you aren’t prepared. Making your guests feel comfortable and at home is essential, especially during the holidays! As you prepare your guest room, ask your guests ahead of their stay if there is anything extra you can do for them to make their stay more comfortable.

For example, if they are traveling with younger children, let them know if you have an extra bassinet or Pack ‘n Play they can use. This is one less thing they must travel with and set up when they arrive. Here are a few simple tips to help you prepare your guest room.

The day before your guests are set to arrive, prepare your guest room with a nice refresh! Vacuum the floors and draperies, dust all surfaces and baseboards, and wash all sheets, blankets, and towels. This is especially important if it’s been a while since you last had guests. 

While the sheets and towels are clean, they may smell stale if they have just been sitting for some time. So, make sure they have a fresh and clean scent and are soft and fluffy! After you make the bed, drape an extra throw blanket over the bed to provide an extra blanket for them to snuggle up with. Include extra blankets and pillows in the closet or dresser in case they need more during their stay. And if you haven’t finished decorating, add some home décor to help the room feel cozy!

As you prepare your guest room, organize and declutter the guest closet so your guests have plenty of space to store their suitcases and provide several dresser drawers for their folded clothes. Include hangers in the guest closet and provide an iron and ironing board in case anything is wrinkled during travel.

Have a guest basket on the dresser or bedside table as a “welcome to our home” gift. Include personal items for your guests to help make their stay more comfortable. Here are a few ideas of items to include in your welcome basket:

• The WiFi password
• If there is a TV in your guest room, any instructions for the remote 
• Water Bottles 
• Granola bars, mixed nuts, gourmet chocolates 
• Gum or mints 
• House Slippers 
• Sleeping Mask 

Include a phone charger on the nightstand and a sound machine on the dresser in case they like white noise as they fall asleep. If your guest room doesn’t have a ceiling fan, include a floor fan in the closet that they can use if needed, and include a few books and magazines on their nightstands. If you want to go the extra mile, set up a small coffee bar in their room with a mini Keurig, coffee cups, K-Cups, and creamer cups.

Refill all soap and lotion dispensers in the bathroom and replace all hand towels. Provide shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles in the shower, and spare toilet paper under the cabinets or in a basket. Empty trash cans and ensure there are plenty of towels and washcloths stocked in the cabinets.

Include a toiletries guest basket on the bathroom counter in case they forget anything. Here are a few ideas to include in your toiletries basket:

• Deodorant
• Lotion
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Floss
• Hairspray
• Mini Hairbrush 
• Contact Solution
• Stain Remover Stick 
• Lint Brush
• Mini Sewing Kit

Coat closets are infamous for becoming a catch-all or clutter closet. So before all of your kid’s sports equipment comes tumbling out in front of your guests, take the time to quickly organize and declutter your coat closet.

Return random items to their proper home, remove any items that are no longer necessary for the season, and make sure there are plenty of empty hangers for your guests’ coats. Also, keep a spare umbrella in the closet in case you need to escort a guest to their car in the pouring rain!

Last but certainly not least, take the time to organize and declutter your kids’ rooms and toys before the new Christmas presents arrive and take over your home! This will not only help you stay sane but will also help prevent your kids from becoming overwhelmed.

If you haven’t already, have a fashion show with each kid to determine what no longer fits. Donate the items that no longer fit to a family in need or organize them in a tote to save for a younger sibling. This will make getting dressed much easier for the holiday season and opens up room for new seasonal clothing.

Depending on your kids, this may require an entire day! Start in each kid’s bedroom and move to the playroom next. If you have older kids, let them help in deciding what toys they no longer play with and which ones are important to keep. If you receive pushback from your precious kiddos, remind them that you can’t bring new toys in unless you give away the toys they no longer play with! And talk to them about how much their toys will bless another child in need.

If you have toys that younger siblings will be ready to play with next year, organize those in a tote and store them in a closet, attic, or garage. Just make sure to label these totes with what’s inside. Incorporate pieces in your kid’s room or playroom that double as storage. This toy bookshelf doubles as a storage chest with drawers and cubby bins to help keep toys neat and organized!

Once you have organized and decluttered all toys in the house, let your kids be a part of donating their old toys to a church, organization, or family in need. If you aren’t sure where to start with toy organization, consider using the following categories to help you sort:

• Action Figures or Dolls
• Animals 
• Cars 
• Blocks/Legos
• Montessori Play 
• Arts and Crafts 
• Grocery Store/Food Play 
• Physical Activity Toys
• Puzzles
• Books 
• Electronic Toys

Will you use these tips to organize and prepare your home for the holidays? How do you organize and declutter your home? Comment below!