How to make your home guest-ready this holiday season without the stress

In the lead up to the holidays, we always get calls from clients desperate to get their homes sorted before the influx of guests. Families are arriving for long stays, parties are being planned and space is needed now.

Whatever holiday you’re celebrating, there’s always that last minute panic when we realise time is running away from us. Stress levels rise and the lead up to the big day is hectic rather than fun. But we still want to make our homes nice for the guests whether that’s decluttering a cupboard to make space for the holiday food and drinks or refreshing the towels and soaps in the bathrooms.

Read on to find out how you can prepare for the holidays with less stress and to download our free Holiday Action Planner.

Why does it feel so busy during the lead up to the holidays?

There are 3 things which add to those feelings of stress:

1. There’s a lot going on year-round, but there’s a funny kind of logic we all have to squeeze in just one more catch-up before the New Year, so the diary gets clogged and free time disappears
2. We invite more people than we can comfortably fit into our home to stay over and celebrate
3. We forget that a packed diary means we have less time to do the boring stuff at a time when there’s more of that stuff to do (plus it’s cold and gloomy, which is more likely to make you want to cosy up than be decluttering the spare room)

1+2+3 = stress

Added to this is something we see with a lot of our clients’ homes: they’re just about keeping up with the people who already live in them.

The space is full. It’s used up and there’s no buffer to give guests a few drawers to unpack their clothes into, or space in the kitchen cupboards for all of the holiday food and snacks.
I can’t count the number of guest rooms we’ve seen which are essentially extra storage rooms, but in a few weeks they need to be comfortable bedrooms again.

How to get your home ready for hosting, the low-stress way

1. Write it down and break it down: Write down absolutely everything you need to do and want to do and target things a few at a time across several weeks. Make a distinction between things you need to do and things you want to do so you can prioritise, and feel confident that you’ve got the essentials done first.
2. Start earlier than you think: Starting early (now!) means finishing early, and leaves time for decorating, planning and actually enjoying the season rather than rushing through the last minute preparations. If you need to make repairs, buy new things, or declutter, do it now.
3. Allow time for decisions: Whether it’s planning an event or clearing out a room, allow plenty of time to consider the best options and consult with others who need to be in the loop, rather than making all decisions under pressure.
4. Build in buffer time: If organising your home or prepping for an event reveals additional needs (things to buy, repairs to make, or items to relocate or get rid of), build in time to handle these surprises before guests arrive.
5. Outsource: If you’re pushed for time, but really want to tackle your to-do list, remember that you don’t need to do it all yourself. Outsource the things you can to partners, kids and friends, and if that’s not enough, bring in professionals. If it means you can relax and enjoy the holidays, rope in all the help you can.

Free Holiday Season Action Planner

We’ve created a free Holiday Action Planner to help you keep on top of everything you need to do in the run up to the holidays. You can download it at the bottom of this article.

How to use it

• Print as many copies as you need and grab a pen.
• Use one section for each event you have coming up, whether that’s the kids coming home from uni, a party with friends, or the in-laws coming for an extended stay
• Write a list of everything you need to do for that event, from the smallest to the biggest (it’s helpful to star the need-to-do items, so they stand out from the want-to-do items). Use a second section if you need to.
• Think about how long it’s going to take you to complete that action in full, and write down a date for when you’re going to get it done. Start with the top priorities and the things which will take the longest, leaving the quick “nice-to-have” actions until the end so if time gets squeezed and things overrun, you know you have the essentials covered and can relax into the holidays.

Happy planning!

Laura x