Awesome New FUN Tip/Tricks for this fast moving Holiday season. If you have guests coming over for the Holiday season You will want to read this!!You have your entire sumptuous menu planned for Thanksgiving. Succulent turkey with your secret recipe glaze, green-bean casserole with homemade caramelized onions, sweet potato souffle with a pecan streusel topping, homemade yeast rolls, two caramel apple pies, three traditional pumpkin pies and two Chocolate Silk Pies. The other visitors are bringing appetizers and drinks. You turn around in excitement, and as your eyes leave your tempting menu, you gaze upon your house. “Oh yeah,” you think, “visitors have to be in my house to eat.” It’s not exactly ready for the holiday guests right now, but don’t fret! You still have time to get it comfy, inviting and sparkly clean! Here are some tips to aid in your journey to creating the perfect atmosphere in your home for holiday guests!
1. Freshen up the guest room. Nothing says welcome like a freshly cleaned guest room. Strip all bed linens and give them a fresh washing. Pull out matching towels and wash cloths for the guest bath. Include a basket of new toiletry and useful items they may need while visiting. Add a special touch by adding a couple holiday scented candles with matches included. Attach a small note of where items that may be needed are located-iron, ironing board, washing machine, etc. Place a fresh bouquet of flowers in the room to give an added fresh scent. Iron bed sheets for a crisp look and feel. If your guests are avid coffee drinkers, leave a few mugs, some joe, and an extra coffee maker in the room for added convenience.
2. Dust and wipe down walls and doors. Day-to-day living can take a toil on walls and doors. As families rush to and fro, a smudge here or a smudge there may go unnoticed. Do a thorough cleaning to add extra shine and beauty to your home. Any scuff marks can be easily scrubbed away with magic erasers or plain white toothpaste-not the gel. Toddlers’ artistic expressions on your painted walls will disappear using these methods as well. Give base boards a good wipe down as they tend to get the brunt of the dirtiness from weather ridden, muddy shoes. Doors need a thorough wipe down. Make the handles sparkle with some Windex.
3. Febreeze upholstered couches and chairs. Add extra freshness to the main gathering areas by spraying them down with your favorite fabric refresher. If you are stretching your dollars, make your own fabric freshener. Here’s a simple recipe: 1 part baking soda 1 part fabric softener 2 parts warm water Mix together and store in a clean, plastic spray bottle.
4. Organize pantry and dish cupboard. With all the commotion and extra helping hands in the kitchen during the holidays, cut down on chaos through organization. Make sure every dish has a place. All Tupperware items are matched with lids, baking pans are sorted, casserole dishes have matching covers, etc. Make serving utensils easy to find. Place tongs with tongs, whisks with whisks, etc. Make sure your food is situated in a common-sense order. Baking goods like baking powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, etc. should be in the same area. Canned goods in another section. Stack all pastas together. Unopened condiments should be stored together in the pantry as well. Friends and family will thank you for making your pantry easily navigable.
5. Give the bathrooms a good scrub. It is more than difficult to feel at home in a place where the bathroom is dingy and smelly. Break out the best cleaning supplies and start scrubbing. Begin with the tub and shower. Leave no spot unscrubbed! Don’t forget the shower curtain. Any shower caddies should be washed clean as well. Wipe downs don’t get all the germies off like a good scrub. Next attack the sink. No rings allowed! Scrub until it sparkles. Wipe down the faucet with vinegar or glass cleaner. Clean the mirrors with glass cleaner and a squeegee. After that, make your toilet bowl shine. Lastly, sweep, scrub and mop the floors. If any stains remain in the bathroom, grab a magic eraser. Even stains from years past may disappear!
6. Provide labeled drinking cups for guests. No one likes playing the “Guess Your Cup” game. Make it simple by buying disposable cups. Using a permanent marker, write the name of each guest on a cup. Or you could be a bit more festive, and make homemade guest cup tags for their drinking pleasure. One idea is to use glasses with handles and tie a ribbon around the handle and attach a name tag. You could also try making button drink labels. You only need two items-contrasting buttons and glue dots. Glue dots are sticky circles of glue mainly used in scrap-booking. Check out any of your local craft stores for this helpful adhesive. When the glasses are dry, attach a glue dot and embellish with a cute button. At the end of the night, you can just peel the buttons off.
7. Give All Floors the good once-over. The day before or the morning of your get together, vacuum all carpets or rugs. Sweep and mop all hard floors. This will put the extra clean twinkle in your holiday readying efforts. To avoid fall or winter debris from entering your home, place mats at the entry doors for visitors to shake off excess dirt. A shoe rack near the door could be a courteous way to encourage people to remove their shoes before entering. Never ask a guest to remove their shoes, just provide the option and a way for them to clean off their shoes before entering.
8. Prepare for Kiddos. If families with little ones are invited to your get together, provide a kid-friendly room with crayons, coloring books, kid books, toys, balls, parent-approved DVDs and other fun activities. Keep some extra sippy cups handy to prevent spills. Happy kids make happy parents!
9. For the ease of everyone, consider disposable table ware. Holidays are the best time for catching up with each other’s life happenings. Washing dirty dishes for 30 or 40 people can be time consuming. Why not make it simple and purchase disposable plates and silverware? No one has to wait for the hostess to begin fun games or activities that are planned. Just make sure you purchase large enough trash bags to collect all the trash.
10. Accent your house with seasonal decorations. It’s a little difficult to get in the spirit of the holidays in an un-decorated home. Spend a little time and money and add appropriate and eye-pleasing decor. Go with a fun, classy or modern theme, but keep the theme the same. Uniform decor has a “put together” sort of feel instead of a hodge podge effect. Decorations do not have to be expensive or extravagant. A little goes a long way.
11.Think happy thoughts. The house can be breath-taking, and the food mouth watering, but if the hostess is a sour-faced Grinch no one is going to have an enjoyable time. Preparing all the details beforehand instead of last minute can help avoid catastrophes that lead to a complete meltdown.
No matter the circumstances that come your way, keep a smile on your face and kindness in your words. Show all your guests love, hospitality and cheer. This, by far, will out shine the decor, yummy edibles, immaculate house and exciting activities.
