Thanksgiving is officially a week and a half away!
Many of us will be hosting guests this holiday, maybe just for the day or for a few days!
Last summer I wrote a post on how to Host Guests. The just of the article is as follows:
Plan your meals ahead of time and make sure you are aware of any special diet needs or preferences. You don’t want to serve fish the first night and realize your guest is allergic! Get all of your grocery shopping done a day or so ahead of time. That way if you need to go to the store it is only for last minute changes or basics like milk and fruit.
Do your deep cleaning of your home a couple of days prior to arrival. This way on the day of, you are only picking up and doing light cleaning.
Make sure your spare room and bathroom are ready to go. Have the room set up with the clean sheets and make room in the closet for their clothes and a place in the room for their suitcase. Show them where the extra blankets are.
For the bathroom, make sure to have the all “extras” handy. Have a decorative basket on the counter with q-tips, cotton balls, an extra toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and washcloths. Have the towels out in the open or show them where to go to get them.
In the morning, have the coffee ready to go with coffee cups, creamers, sugars, etc on the counter for easy access. You don’t want them to feel like they have search your cupboards. Make sure they know the plan for breakfast, it doesn’t matter if you are making it for them or it’s buffet style with cereal. It is important to help them get what they need and not feel uncomfortable doing so.
In addition to the tips above, I wanted to add a few more that I feel are more specific to the Holiday season:
1. Start New Traditions! When you are eating your Thanksgiving Meal, go around the table and talk about what you are most thankful for. Include children in this activity, the answers may surprise you! When I have hosted Thanksgiving, I have a book called ” If”, ( Click on “If” or to image to go to Amazon.com to purchase the book! ) and I wrote several questions down individually in a hat, each family member had to pick a question and answer. It’s a great way to get to know your family in a different way! And it is a lot of fun!
2. Plan activities ahead of time- especially if you have children or children are visiting your home. Know what movies are out, what are the hours of local malls, and play areas. Make time for “downtime”, have your puzzles ready, games out, and seating available to everyone to just catch up!
3. Thanksgiving is a big meal, with a lot of time and preparation to make. Delegate and get your family involved. Even if they don’t ask first, you ask. Get help in the preparation of the meal but also for the clean up. You will enjoy yourself much more if you are not doing everything!
4. In regards to other meals, if you have guests staying more than just a couple of nights, plan meals out, order pizza in, even have your guests be in charge of a meal or two. Not every meal has to be fancy, make it easy so everyone enjoys themselves.
5. If you have added to your family, a new sister in law, etc. show them around your home, make them feel extra comfortable. Even if you have known them for years, if this is their first time staying with you, it can still be uncomfortable. Make it easy.
Last year I wrote about having a Thanksgiving Checklist, please click on link to review this post. There are some excellent tips on how to organize your TO DO List!
Last but not least…. Remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving…. Make memories with the ones you love!
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