It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, it’s Christmas time at long last, and if you’re anything like us you’ve already hung up the tinsel, decorated the tree and indulged (or over indulged) in the mandatory mulled wine. But if you’ve been restrained, we hope you’re ready to get in the festive spirit. But with great Christmas cheer comes great worry, especially if you’re the one doing the entertaining this year. Do you need to get more furniture in? Is an extra bed a good idea? Is there enough room at the dining table? Should you deep clean the house before everyone arrives? Being prepared is a big part of making sure Christmas goes smoothly, and we wanted to share some of the best tips we’ve heard over the years.
Work Out Your Guest Numbers
You might be looking forward to a nice quiet Christmas this year. And if you are, we envy you! For most of us Christmas means having at least one or two guests to come and stay, and this can make things complicated. The best thing you can do is work out how many people are going to be there as early as possible. This gives you time to work out where they’re going to sleep, how you’re going to fit them around the dinner table and what the best entertainment will be. Once you have your numbers, you can put all of your other plans in place.
Clean The Oven
If there is one thing you should think about deep cleaning before Christmas, it’s the oven. Christmas is a high-traffic time for this particular kitchen appliance, and the last thing you want is for your Christmas turkey to have an aftertaste of last week’s curry. For a lot of people (us included), the oven might only get cleaned once a year, and this is the time to get it shining. If you don’t fancy an afternoon up to the elbows in grease and grime, you can always book a local oven cleaning firm to do it for you. But be quick – they’ll be booking up fast!
Consider Furniture, And What You Really Need
More people visiting and spending time in your home = more places needed to sit, put things down and sleep. If you need to get furniture out of storage or have a re-arrange, it’s worth thinking about it before people arrive. Equally if you’ve ordering new furniture (maybe finally replacing that sofa you moved in with 5 years ago?), remember that it could already be too late to order in time for Christmas, and if it can be delivered, you might end up paying an extra fee for it. So check the delivery details twice before you hit order.
Check Crockery And Cutlery
Do you use the fancy crockery and cutlery for Christmas? Then you need to get it out and make sure it’s all there, not chipped and clean. If you don’t, it’s time to go through the cupboard and make sure you have enough. Extra guests at Christmas means extra plates, knives and forks, so check what you have and 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 placemats and serving trays. Don’t forget to check you have enough glasses as well – you wouldn’t want to run out!
Get Prepared
Preparation is the key to a happy, stress-free Christmas, so if you take one thing away from this blog, it’s this – prepare! This means giving your home a quick dust (if you don’t fancy a full-blown clean), getting your guest numbers together and generally making sure everything is where you need it. This means you should be able to enjoy Christmas with just a light hoovering and clearing up the odd spill. A few other things you should put on the to-do list include:
- Get your duvet sets and pillows ready for any overnight guests, so you’re not searching around at the last moment.
- Give your carpets a deep clean, either by hiring a carpet cleaning machine or getting a professional in.
- Write out all the meals you’ll be eating over the Christmas period (including snacks) and create a master shopping list.
- If you’re using a local butcher, pre-order your meat as far in advance as you can.
- Buy your basic, long-life groceries now, so you don’t have to wait until the week of Christmas when the shops will be overcrowded.
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 overburden yourself, no one wants to be exhausted at Christmas! And from all of us at Northwood, we hope you enjoy the festive season and are ready to greet the New Year with open eyes.
