Family, Holidays, and Your Home

While we like to have our homes looking nice all the time, we also know the most important time to have everything perfect is when we're showing off our homes to guests. If you're like most people, the hardest guests to please typically arrive right around the holidays—family. The in-laws can be even worse. Whether your mother or father-in-law likes to verbally impale you with a continuous, nagging critique or prefers the steely, silent judgment of their eyes, the holidays can be a source of panic for hosts.

Basic Things to Focus On
A simple checklist of basic cleaning should include carpet cleaning, window cleaning, bathroom tiling. In the kitchen, check the general condition of cabinets, countertops, and appliances. If you're worried about finding time to prepare everything, a simple maid service can save you several hours of work for a reasonable price.

Everybody loves the Holidays, but not if it means taking somebody to the emergency room. Be sure to shovel your walkways and porches and check the weather report. If there's a chance it may snow during the gathering, have some extra salt on hand to throw down for your guests when they leave.

The lion's share of surviving the holidays is providing a good meal and first and last impressions. Along with clearing your entryways, make sure the outdoor lighting is working and that you have an efficient way of storing coats, hats, scarves, gloves, etc.

Guest Rooms
If you have family members who are spending the night, preparing the guest room(s) can turn into its own project. For the typical homeowner, a guest room can be the least used room in the house and can quickly get out of hand. Preparing a guest room should probably entail more than just removing clutter and straightening up. Put fresh linens on the bed, but also consider providing a bedside lamp and clock if the guest room doesn't already have one. It might also be a good idea to clean out a dresser drawer or some closet space. Your mother-in-law will probably appreciate the opportunity to take her things out of her suitcase.

Remember other party guests can help buffer your torture during the family party, but after the other guests leave and when everybody wakes up in the morning, you'll be alone with your overnight family members. Moods can get cranky and the thing that's likely to be foremost in their mind is their sleeping experience. So spend a few extra minutes in the guest room.