Christmas is probably the most joyous time of the year and for homeowners, it’s a time to really make the most of having a place of your own that you can be proud of.
Now, as much as you want to enjoy this festive season with your loved ones, there is also a lot of work that needs to be done in the lead up to the big day – work of which can sometimes lead to an entire meltdown before the fun of Monopoly has even begun!
Admittedly, the stress can take away some of the enjoyment from the festive period. However, there are some effective ways through which you can minimise any panic while hosting a Christmas party or brunch at your home. Following are some ways to get yourself prepared and in the festive mood…
Manage Expectations
Prepping your home for the Christmas period can be exhausting as you try to live up to the expectations of all your guests. However, you can avoid all the pressure traditionally attached to such hosting situations by letting your friends and family know the agenda for the day beforehand.
It’s likely that you’ll be in charge of the majority of the food, but don’t feel that you need to provide everything. Ask different guests to bring different things – for example, have some family members in charge of bringing refrigerated nibbles, whilst others come equipped with crisps, sweets and chocolate.
As part of managing expectations, you will need to know exactly how many people you are catering for. We’ve all had to ask guests to bring additional chairs or fold-out tables at some point to cater for the masses – but if hosting at your house is something that is a regular occurrence, it might be a good idea to get in touch with interior design experts. They can design a kitchen that accommodates for the larger number of people flooding into your home during the holidays.
Prepare a checklist
You might not personally believe in the merits of planning or pre-planning a party but preparing a checklist can actually help you to put your vision into action.
Make sure that you have every requirement listed down so that you don’t miss anything. If there are plus ones that are lactose or gluten intolerant, it’s vital that you are aware of this prior to the day so you can prepare an alternative.
Prepare meals in advance
You will not want to miss out on precious moments with your family and friends. So, to enjoy each and every moment of your time with your loved ones, make sure that you prepare meals well in advance.
You can ask a friend or family member to come over early and help you with the preparations. Additionally, you can start with the preparations a day prior, which means that all you need to do is heat the majority of the food up when everyone is finally ready to tackle their Christmas dinner.
Rules are meant to be broken
As much as you’ll want to control everything happening on the day, it’s important to realise that things often never go quite to plan, meaning there will be unexpected things occurring regardless of how prepared you are.
If there are going to be young guests at your house running around excitedly, we recommend that you optimise your downstairs areas so that it provides a safe environment for little ones. Having a kitchen design with child safety in mind is a fantastic idea for homeowners with young children.