How to get your home ready for Christmas
Ten easy steps will have your home ready for Christmas without the overwhelm.
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Our homes are center of the holiday season where we come together to gather, eat, play and celebrate the holiday season. But getting there can seem overwhelming especially when we are also trying to stick to a budget. Here are ten easy steps to help you get your home ready for Christmas- while taking the stress of your mind and wallet.
I highly recommend starting early even if you would rather wait on actually decking the halls.
Declutter
This is free and definitely can be tackled earlier in the season. I tend to do my deep clean of the major rooms in early November to help get us through the winter months. I cleaned all our rugs, slipcovers and window drapery this past week.
Decluttering now can also help relieve some of that post holiday stress of too much stuff in the house that we all feel in January.
I like to tackle the busy, high traffic areas this time of year- our front entry, kitchen and our living room where you will find our wood stove (it can be messy). If you have young kids, this is a great time to declutter the kids’ toys as well.
2. Decorate main spaces
You don’t need to do a blitz and decorate all the rooms. This can be expensive and overwhelming. I suggest focusing on the main spaces and using items you’ve collected over time. It is definitely not necessary to purchase all new decor every year. I like to focus on the staples which for me are, candles, wool blankets/throws, chunkier knit pillows, wreaths and garlands.
Focus on the living room/family room. This space usually holds the Christmas tree and if you have a fireplace, a pre-lit garland, some candles and a winter themed throw and some pillows are all you need to create a cozy festive space. The candles, pillows and throw can be used throughout the winter months.
Add light holiday touches to the dining room and kitchen with holiday/winter placemats and napkins, holiday dish towels and a holiday centerpiece.
For bathrooms, a festive candle or I love to diffuse some winter scented oils, a hand towel and maybe a holiday themed/scented soap. (we make our own using essenital oils as I try my best to stay away from toxic perfumes and fragrances)
Playing holiday music is also an easy way to set the holiday mood and touch on a different one of the five senses without overspending or visually overwhelming our spaces. We like to use our google mini in our upstairs family room to play our favorite Spotify Christmas classic playlist. On our TV, I will choose a winter themed art to be displayed. Again, all free things you can do to make your space feel festive.
3. Stock up on pantry staples
I tend to do more baking in the time leading up to the holidays and will stock up on those items early in the season to avoid things being out of stock. Stocking up early and buying items in bulk will keep you from last-minute, budget-busting shopping. One thing that we do is collect our PC points all year long and I redeem them for our groceries that I purchase the week before Christmas. It’s nice to have that little bit of help so close to the holiday season. If, like us, you do not have a pantry, we bought this shelf for our basement where we store our extra items.
4. Make ahead meals
This time of year can feel super busy and casseroles and soups are easy meals to make in large batches to freeze. They can ease the stress of having to make dinner on busy holiday weeknights and will also keep the dinner budget in balance. They’re also super easy to reheat after a long day of shopping or decorating or cleaning to prep for guests.
5. Create a wrapping station
I must admit this is my most unliked task. However, by having everything in the one place does make things easier when the mood does strike. I like to stick to a roll or two of Kraft wrapping paper, twine, yarn, tape and simple gift tags (I pick mine up from the Dollar Store) and I store all those items in a closet off my office.
6. Clean the high traffic areas
Put on some tunes, podcasts or listen to an audio book, and using water and vinegar and a few drops of essential oils give your floors, kitchen and bathrooms a good scrub. Vacuum your furniture or take a day and wash all the slipcovers. I mentioned that I did this recently and it instantly made the spaces feel so good. Bonus if you can air dry them outside on a sunny day!
7. Prepare for Guests
Do NOT break the bank on this one. Simply clean the house and be welcoming. Dust, vacuum, and clean the toilets. But don’t apologize for things out of place or any remaining messes from perhaps unfinished projects. Most people won’t even notice and everyone knows that life happens. Don’t sweat it.
If you’re having overnight guests, grab a winter-scented essential oil to diffuse in the guest bedroom. There’s no need to splurge for a holiday-themed bedding set, stick with your everyday, neutral guest bedding but add a cozy holiday throw blanket and maybe a throw pillow to the bed.
8. Make a stove top potpourri
This is my favorite thing to do to create a cozy home this time of year! Check out my recipe here. The warm smell of the holidays will fill the house in no time. The best part is that you likely already have many of these ingredients on hand.
9. Be strategic with outside decorations
You can easily go over budget here. I take my summer planters and fill them with greenery and red berries that I pick right here on our acreage. I will install a fresh wreath on our front door. I choose to not adorn it with Christmas themed decor but rather choose a pretty ribbon so I can keep my wreath all winter long.
10. Plan Ahead
This is key to avoid stress, overwhelm and over spending. I start my Christmas list as early as mid to later summer. I just pay attention to things that kids mention and use the notes app on my phone. I’ll start making purchases early fall and I try my best to be done with any gift shopping by December 1 so I know I don’t have any money going out that month for Christmas gifts.
If you like to send out family holiday cards, take the stress off yourself and snap the photo yourself and upload it to the many online holiday card apps. Order early so you can get them in the mail in time. Tip: you don’t need to buy everyone matching outfits!!!
Wishing you all a wonderfully cozy holiday home this season.
