Preparing for Christmas

Plus, a Living Room Redesign

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It’s mid-November now, and this is usually about the time of year that I begin to freak out – but, not this year! This year, I made myself a promise: create a clear plan, be organized, prep early, and don’t let the season become stressful – and I intend to keep this promise! [Read how I plan to keep my holiday shopping jolly here]😉

I have a to-do list 12-miles long, but I’m working hard to complete all the tasks needed to make this holiday season run smoothly! Prepping my home for holiday guests is always at the top of my list. Not just decorating, cooking, and cleaning but making sure guests feel welcomed. So, today I’m sharing some holiday prep ideas for upcoming visitors, and also a few last-minute updates we’re making in the living room.

1. Prepare Guest Rooms and Bathrooms

This may seem obvious, but it’s more than dusting off the furniture and making the bed. Take time to launder and sort extra sheets, pillows, and blankets to stock each of your guest rooms – and make sure your guests know where they can find these items. I also set out a stack of towels in each room and in the bathroom, just in case. Also in the bathroom, stock and make sure there is extra hand soap, towels, and of course, toilet paper. Plus, check to make sure you are fully stocked on all shower items. Make sure to clean out the closets so there is room to accommodate luggage and any items your guest may need to store or hang (don’t forget to leave some hangers). You could even go as far as creating a welcome basket, with snacks, bottled water, and a small gift for each person visiting.

2. Keep the House Tidy

This is hard and will definitely take effort from the whole family. The easiest way to do this: set aside time for everyone to help daily. I prefer to do this before bed, but if your family is better with mornings, make time before the day starts. Regardless of the time of day, have everybody pick up and it will make things easier. I find this very helpful, especially when unexpected guests decide to pop by!

3. Complete Home Projects

I don’t know about in your home, but in ours, there’s constantly projects needing to be finished. I find this is the best time of year to complete these for two reasons: 1. After Halloween, the world seems to close for about a month. The weather gets colder and all the fun fall activities are gone. Basically, the whole month of November is a time to sit and wait for Christmas activities to begin (at least in our family LOL). 2. The obvious reason: guests! There are more people in and out of our home in November and December than in all the other months combined. And I want my house to look perfect when they’re here! I don’t want anyone to remember an ugly hole in the ceiling where a light fixture used to hang, I want them to remember how beautifully my tree was decorated, or how much fun they had with our family. So, touch-up the paint, fill the holes, and organize that garage, because there’s no time like the present to get things done!

4. Prepare for Something To Do

Don’t let your guests sit around bored! Stock up on some new games and keep them handy. Activity kits are always great if you have children visiting. Try preparing for a craft, like painting Christmas ornaments, or have ingredients ready to bake cookies. Also, make sure to frequent the grocery store! Have easily prepared snacks and appetizers on hand to make and serve quickly if needed.

Scroll & Tap Each Picture to Shop My Favorites Items for Guests

Great Game for All Ages
Extra Sheet Set for Guest Rooms
Favorite Adult Party Game
Crafts for the Kids

Extra Blanket for Guest Rooms
Hand Soap Refill
Bath Towel Set

The Living Room Update

Immediately before the holidays, I go crazy trying to improve my house and make everything perfect for all the upcoming guests. Even before all the holiday decorating begins, I start to find projects and areas that I want to improve. This year, that area is my living room. My house is an open concept and the living room is attached to the kitchen and therefore seen and used constantly. Since building our home I have tried to find an arrangement of furniture and some customization options that worked well in this room, but I have failed many times. So this year, I’m spending a little extra time in this room and trying to find something that works better than our original set-up and that is “Christmas décor” ready!

Earlier this year, I purchased a pair of white Safavieh club-chairs. I hoped these would help create a more neutral palette in the room. I previously had a dark teal slipper chair in this room and it restricted the color scheme of the whole home. The new chairs helped add to the room, but there was still (and is still) a lot of work to be done to create the beautifully styled room I have planned.

The end-goal is to create my vision of a “Transitional-Glam” room with custom molding in a neutral color scheme [to be able to accommodate any change I might be feeling or any holiday decorations].

Today I’m presenting the first step in my plan to make this room more customized and basically homier: Add new furniture and decor and find storage solutions for infant toys. (My son is only 9 months old, but he already requires the entire room to be filled with toys. I can imagine this will only get worse as he grows older!)

I have already started to collect some of these pieces but there’s still a long way to go. Here is my inspiration board:

Bronze Console Table | Velvet Blush Curtains | Beige Sectional Couch

White and Rose Gold Coffee Table | White Club Chair | Fur Ottoman

Clear Serving Cart | Storage Basket | White Mirrored Console Table

The beige sectional couch seen above is similar to the one I own. I purchased mine a few years ago and I still love it – but unfortunately, it is no longer in production.

The white and mirror console table is a possible future purchase. I absolutely love the look, but since this is a more pricey purchase, I’m still doing my research to make sure this is “the one.” Everything else pictured on my inspiration board has arrived or is on its way for the holiday season! I’ll be sharing my progress during my Christmas decor tour very soon – stay tuned!