It’s that most wonderful time of the year again! Christmas! Laying solid groundwork for Christmas is always good idea, especially if you’re having visitors to stay. Do you need to get more furniture in? Is an extra bed a good idea? Is there enough room at the dining table? And when’s the best time to do that deep clean before your guests arrive?
Here’s our quick checklist for Preparing your Home for Christmas:
Guest Numbers
You may be having a quiet Yuletide with just the immediate family. Most of us, however, will probably have at least one or two guests coming to stay.
As early as possible figure out how many people are going to be there over the Christmas period, where they are going to sleep and how you are going to accommodate them around the dinner table. Once you have your numbers, you will need to figure out how to accommodate the extra people.
Furniture
It can take a much longer time to deliver orders during the run up to the festive season, for new furniture it is probably already too late to order new. But all is not lost, borrowing furniture is a simple way to accommodate an increased household.
If that doesn’t appeal then there are some great alternatives available. For instance this self-inflating double bed from High Street TV looks like a great solution for a crowded Christmas Night. Companies like Habitat can still deliver furniture before Christmas – in Habitat’s case if you place an order by 13th December you will get your furniture in time! It’s worth checking around other stores too.
The Big Oven Clean
It’s the one thing that we always put off, the dreaded oven cleaning. If you don’t fancy an afternoon up to your elbows in grease and grime, you may decide to get someone in to do it for you. Many small firms offer specialist oven cleaning services and it could be a good idea to book them in as soon as possible if you are dreaming of a sparklingly clean oven for Christmas.
Check Your Crockery and Cutlery
Extra guests at Christmas time means more plates, knives and forks are needed. Check what you have and decide now whether you need to get extra. If you have left it particularly late, the good news is that crockery sets and cutlery are readily available from your local supermarket. This might also be a good time to replace those old place mats and serving trays. Don’t forget to check you have enough glasses as well.
Checking the Decorations
Often after Christmas, we put away the decorations in a haphazard way because we’ve had enough of the festivities. That means it can be difficult to sort through them all. Do this early, even if you have no intention of putting the decorations up until Christmas Eve. You can see what items have seen better days and will need to be replaced. Check the lights still work and put everything in one place so that you can simply spring into action once the time comes.
Clean Your Home and Prep
Pick a day or two during which to give your home a good clean from top to bottom, preferably before you decide to put the decorations up. This should mean that all you have to do over the Christmas period is keep on top of it with a little hoovering and a bit of light dusting, all while handling the odd spill here and there.
Here are a few other household chores you may want to consider in the run up:
- Get your duvet sets and pillows ready for the guests so you aren’t searching around for them at the last moment.
- Give the carpets a deep clean. You can either hire a device yourself at a local supermarket or get a professional company in to do it for you.
- Write a meal plan and list of ingredients for the Christmas period. If you’re using a local butchers, it’s time to book your turkey or joint of meat for the big day.
- Buy your basic long-life grocery items so you don’t have to run around picking up bits and bobs when the supermarkets are overcrowded. This is important, you’ll know what we mean if you have ever tried to hunt down a packet of blancmange on Christmas eve!
Finally, lists are always good when it comes to organizing Christmas. You might want to download a Christmas countdown app to your smartphone to help you keep track of everything. This can send you reminders so that you don’t forget anything.
Whilst it is fun to get your house ready for the festivities, try to remember your visitors are coming to see you, not a pristine house. Try not to over burden yourself, no one wants to be exhausted at Christmas!
