As the leaves change colors and begin to fall, you’re likely thinking about your plans for the upcoming holiday season. Will you be hosting any holiday get-togethers? When you think about getting ready for Christmas or hosting guests, do you feel overwhelmed? Check out these tips from Honey-Do Home Organizing for making holiday preparations much smoother!
PRE-HOLIDAY DECLUTTERING
Early Autumn is the time to declutter your main hosting areas. Think about where your guests will spend time in your home, and focus on those rooms first.
Welcoming Your Holiday Guests
An entryway is a great place to start by packing away any out of season jackets and shoes in order to make room for your current season items. Once you have cleared the space of unneeded items, you can set up hooks or a coat tree and even baskets for your guests to place their coats and shoes.
Decluttering Your Main Holiday Hosting Rooms
Decluttering your main living spaces for the holidays is also important. Spaces like your living room, kitchen, dining areas, or the den are top priority. Be sure to work in one room at a time in order to break up the task into smaller jobs. When decluttering each room, think about what can go in storage, what can be donated or given to friends and family, and what can be tossed. Removing items that are no longer needed will make more room for your guests during their visit and for the new treasures you may receive this holiday season!
Kitchen Decluttering for Holiday Cooking
The kitchen is a very important room when hosting a holiday get-together. Even if you are having a Thanksgiving potluck for example, the kitchen becomes the food prepping and staging area. Put away small appliances that won’t be needed for holiday baking or cooking in order to maximize prep space. Store any off-season decor and remove any items that have accumulated over time while continuing to decide what to store, what to donate, and what to toss.
Kitchen & Pantry Organization
Pre-Holiday decluttering is the perfect time for a pantry purge. Toss any expired items, possibly set aside some non-perishable items for food drive donations, and organize what is left into food categories. Make sure anything you will be cooking for this holiday season is placed in an easily accessible location. If there are non-perishable items you can buy ahead of time to help prepare for your hosting, start getting those early to avoid those stressful, last-minute grocery trips and errands!
Preparing for Overnight Holiday Guests
Do you have family or friends that stay overnight with you for the holidays? Preparing guest rooms and bathrooms will be necessary as well.
Preparing Guest Bedrooms for the Holidays
Decluttering a guest room needs the same considerations that you have given the other rooms in your house. Store items you want to keep but your guests won't need. Donate items that you no longer need but still have life in them. Toss items that are no longer usable or are not in good enough shape for donation. Then make the bed with fresh sheets. Use flannel or holiday themed sets for fun!
Preparing Bathrooms for the Holidays
Bathrooms that your guests will use will need space for their temporary toiletries, so clear as much counter and in-shower shelf space as possible. Make sure empty bottles are tossed or refilled, remove your personal items that can go in a private bath or organize them in drawers, and have a supply of fresh towels, toilet paper, tissues, and hand soap for your guests.
Organizing Holiday Decorations
After you have decluttered and prepared your hosting and sleeping areas, it's time to decorate! Think about how you can organize your decorations as you go.
Putting Up Your Decorations
When pulling your holiday decorations out of storage, you can again think about what can be used, what can be donated, and what can be tossed. If you have decorations that no longer match the look you are going for, it’s been several years since you have displayed them, or they are broken, it is ok to part with them. If they hold memories that may be special to family members, consider gifting them.
Now You are Ready for Holiday Hosting!
You have decluttered your entryway and living spaces, prepared your kitchen and pantry for holiday cooking, created a cozy guest room and bathroom for your overnight guests, and created a holiday happy place with your decorations. You are ready to host for the holidays!
We hope these tips have helped you take the overwhelm out of your holiday preparations, but we understand how daunting & overwhelming it really can be! Honey-Do Home Organizing can help with everything including your pre-holiday decluttering and dropping off donations, streamlining your decoration collection, preparing guest rooms, post-holiday clean-up and storage, and more! We can even help you check people off your gift list with one of our gift cards!
Schedule your consultation with Honey-Do Home Organizing today so we can help you prepare for the holidays and after!