How to Prep Your Home for a Stress-Free Holiday Season
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If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and thinking, “I’ll be more prepared next year” every January, you’re not alone. However, the good news is that we have plenty of time to get ahead of the hosting season madness if we start now! We’re sharing a whole list of easy projects you can tackle bit by bit so that when the holidays roll around, you’re feeling confident, calm, and excited—and can actually enjoy yourself with friends and family.
Keep reading for our best-ever advice on how to set your home up for holiday season success, including tips, tricks, and supplies—which you can conveniently pick up or get delivered with Fast, Free delivery straight to your door thanks to The Home Depot. (Subject to availability.)
Tackle Your Fall and Pre-Winter Maintenance
By the time the holidays are here, the last thing you’ll feel like doing is cleaning the gutters or fixing drafty doors. You’ll want to be in the holly jolly mindset, not stressing about scheduling an appointment to get your HVAC serviced. And if you get through your list of chores now, you can focus on the fun part, like decorating your spaces and preparing for guests.
To help you get on the right track, we’re sharing Drew and Jonathan’s no-fail fall maintenance checklist below, along with a few essential products you can pick up at The Home Depot so you can get it done with ease.
Get Organized
If you plan to host friends and family this season—whether it’s for a one-night party or a longer-term stay (or both!)—you’ll want to get the house ultra-organized now. Trust us: There’s nothing worse than having to take everything out of your drawers or cabinets to find what you’re looking for while guests are also hovering in the kitchen. Plus, you want to set yourself up for easy maintenance outside of hosting season, so you can tidy for 15 to 20 minutes every day rather than needing full deep cleans.
Here are a few quick things you can do for de-stressed success:
Install Drawer and Cabinet Organizers
Drawer and cabinet organizers are a storage superhero. The setup takes minutes and they make such a difference, especially for the areas where you keep your most often-used utensils and supplies. In addition to your kitchen drawers and cabinets, consider adding these organizers to the guest bathroom, as well—that way, you’ll know what essentials you need to replace for guests, and you’ll ensure they can find everything they need without asking.
Stock Up on Baskets
Look around your living room, bedroom, and entertaining areas. Do you see throw blankets strewn about? Toys on the floor? Remotes cluttering the coffee table? There is a very simple solution: baskets! Nestle a basket next to your couch or bed, under your tables, or in an empty corner. They’re perfect for stashing these everyday items quickly when guests are on the way—meaning you don’t have to ask the family not to touch anything for 24 hours before your guests’ arrival. Ultimately, you can’t eliminate the things you use all the time, but you can find clever ways to hide them.
This is also a good opportunity to take your cooler-weather clothes, accessories, and decor out of storage and pack up your warm-weather gear. Clear storage options like these HDX totes are perfect for this chore, as they come in several different sizes, plus you can quickly see what’s in each bin when you need to locate something. After all, nothing is worse than unstacking all your functional storage and having to open each lid to see what’s hiding inside.
Create a Functional Entryway
The entryway is the first thing people see when they visit your home. It’s also where you’d probably like to encourage them to take off their shoes and jackets. Stop mud and dirt in its tracks with a few easy DIYs. First, hang a stylish coat rack near your front door, then set up a shoe organizer underneath (or you can find a combo unit!). Lastly, finish with a cheery doormat outside your front door so everyone can scrape their shoes before stepping inside.
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These are just a few easy projects you can knock out in a weekend that will make coming and going smoother, especially when you have a full house.
Reset the Guest Room
Whether you have friends or family staying for whole weekends or just here and there for a quick overnight, a clean and organized guest room will make their stay feel special. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw out all your furniture and start over. Replacing the sheets, stocking the bathroom, and laying out fresh towels are a great place to start. We also suggest making the bed with an extra blanket or quilt so they can find their just-right sleeping temperature.
If you want to invest a bit more in the experience, consider layering in the things you’d want to have in your own room or when you’re traveling. That could be the Wi-Fi info printed out on their bedside table, a carafe with water and a tray with a few snacks, and a TV so they can unwind at night. Drew and Jonathan also like to have a framed photo of them with their guest for a personalized finishing touch.
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Upgrade Your Entertaining Spaces
A few small projects can go a long way to transforming your home into an entertainer’s hub. Here are some of our favorites:
Get Smart
Install smart lighting so you can set the mood throughout the house. It’s an incredibly easy task, especially if you opt for bulbs that are powered by Hubspace at The Home Depot, which allows you to control smart lighting from one app on your phone. You can also set up smart speakers so you can play and adjust music from your device. Then, when someone asks you to queue up “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” for the fifteenth time, you don’t even have to interrupt your other conversation to get it done.
Extend to the Outdoors
Standalone fire pits from The Home Depot are extremely affordable and can turn your outdoor spaces into a gathering hub in minutes. Get a few folding chairs or pick up cozy Adirondacks, and set up some outdoor lighting options, and you’ll have the setting for memorable bonfire parties ready to go (and an easy way to extend your entertaining square footage overall).
Try a Mini Makeover
A few simple changes can go a long way in making your home feel finished and beautiful without needing a full makeover. Swap your throw pillows with ones in fresh colors, install peel and stick wallpaper, set up a mirror in a dark corner, or find a duvet cover in a fun pattern. It’s amazing how big of a difference a few new hues or small updates can make. Bonus points for finishing with a dash or two of seasonal decor, like a garland on the mantel or a wreath on the front door.
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Stock Up on Hosting Gifts
It’s an unwritten rule that you shouldn’t show up to someone else’s home empty handed. So when it’s your turn to be a guest, you want to be prepared with a few creative ideas to avoid that last-minute, run-to-the-store rush. Luckily, you can stock up on unique gifts for anyone on your list at The Home Depot. Here are our favorite things to keep on hand so you can simply grab it when you’re ready to head out the door.
01
Pura Home Mini Smart Fragrance Diffuser with White Tea No. 1 Refill
The Home Depot
$48.98
Candles can be sneaky expensive! Take it up a notch with this smart diffuser that’ll make their home smell amazing and is fun to use. They can control scent levels, set timers, and turn it on and off right from their phone. Plus, there are so many amazing fragrances to choose from that they can switch up their vibe whenever they want.
02
Fox Run Black Marble Coasters, Set of 6
The Home Depot
$35.99
Anyone who’s ever hosted knows how quickly you can run out of coasters and have to watch as your beautiful furniture fends for itself. Surprise them and help them prep by bringing along a stylish set of marble coasters. These are neutral enough to blend in with any design style and will give them peace of mind during their event (and long after, too).
03
Trademark Games Wooden Book-Style Chess Board
The Home Depot
$30.05
Board games are great to have around, but they don’t always come in the most beautiful packages. This chess set would look gorgeous on a coffee or side table for anyone who plays often, but it also folds for easy storage, too. It’s perfect for families or game night enthusiasts like Drew and Jonathan.
04
Ozeri Extravo Stainless Steel Electric Wine Opener with Auto Activation
The Home Depot
$22.50
Most people bring wine as a hostess gift. Think ahead and bring them what they’ll really need when they’re stressed and have 20 people milling about—an electric wine opener! It’s one of those items you can never find on the night of, and they’ll be so grateful to have an extra after the event is over, too.
05
The Home Depot Gift Card
The Home Depot
$100.00
Gift cards get a bad rep for feeling too easy. But ask your loved ones what they actually want (especially those who just moved or are first-time homeowners) and it’s probably all the same thing: Money! A gift card from The Home Depot can help them get closer to a wish list item, like new lighting, decor, furniture, or the power tool or toolkit they need to finally finish their dream DIY. When gifting, package it with a thoughtful card, and we promise you won’t hear any complaints.
Check off these to-dos throughout the next few weeks, and you’ll find yourself having the most stress-free and fun holiday season yet. Cheers to that!
Megan Stein
Megan is the Senior Director of Editorial and Content Marketing for DrewandJonathan.com. She has over a decade of experience in the home and lifestyle industry, with previous roles at The Pioneer Woman, Country Living, and People magazine. She loves to inspire readers with beautiful, approachable design ideas, as well tips on how to bring their visions to life. She’s also shopping obsessed, and is dedicated to discovering the best products to make life easier, whether it’s testing a top-rated vacuum or the finding the perfect rug to complete your room.
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