The holidays present an opportunity to gather your extended family under one roof and celebrate the season together. Of course, if everyone is congregating in your home, winter can be a stressful rush season to get everything in order. To help you keep your sanity this holiday, plan ahead to provide your guests with a relaxed holiday that they’ll remember for years to come. Here are some tips to prepare your home for family and friends.
Make Space and Provide Seating
It’s likely the holidays bring more people to your home than any other time of year, and you’ll need to ensure they all have enough space to be comfortable. Go through the rooms of your home and evaluate how much space there is in each room for people to spread out and socialize. If rooms are feeling too cramped to accommodate the influx of people, consider moving some of your furniture into a self-storage facility. As you decide which items to remove, always prioritize seating over table space. Your goal is to encourage conversation, and people are more likely to talk when they’re able to sit comfortably. Haul out any folding chairs you have in your storage unit, and reorganize rooms so any space in your home can accommodate several visitors.
Clean Intelligently
It’s natural to want your home to look its best when visitors are over, but you need to be realistic. A huge number of people traipsing through your home is sure to cause a fair amount of dirt and clutter on its own. With that in mind, don’t sweat the small stuff when you clean. Instead of spending hours getting each room to look perfect, set time limits for cleaning each space. When you walk into a room, evaluate which areas need cleaning most. Then give yourself between 15 and 20 minutes to address those specific problems. You’ll be amazed at how good your home looks after this speedy cleaning, and you’ll still have time to address other issues.
Provide Entertainment
As fun as it is to spend time with family members, it can become overwhelming sometimes. It’s important to provide guests with entertainment options for the inevitable moments of downtime. Provide books and magazines in every bedroom, and try to clearly delineate areas that are designed for socializing and those aimed at rest. Once your guests have left and you need to store all the holiday decorations, consider placing them in a SecurCare Self Storage facility. They have all the space you need to get clutter out of your home and help you keep your life organized.