How to Prepare for Holiday Hosting

How to Prep for Holiday Hosting

1. Clean & Declutter

The first thing you can do to prepare for guests is to clean and declutter your home! This will make the space feel more welcoming and allow you to really enjoy your guests' company.

Your guests will notice if you have clutter everywhere, so make sure everything has a place. You can also use this time as an opportunity to reorganize your kitchen cabinets, shelves, and closets. You don't have to do everything at once — take it one room at a time.

2. Pick Dates

Next, you will want to select dates and let your guests know which day they can attend. This will give them time to plan accordingly, so they can make sure they have off from work or school on that day.

Pro tip: If you know your guests have a lot of events coming up, try asking them first what works best for them first before selecting a date!

3. Decorate Your Home

Now that you have your calendar marked, it's time to start decorating. Although it may be tempting to buy all new decorations, we suggest looking in your storage to see what you already have on hand.

• If you are hosting a Christmas get-together, you want to make sure your tree is up and decorated, lights have been strung through the house, and your home is looking festive.

All in all, you should take an assessment of the things you already have and see what you need to get before the big day of the event. Then, you won't feel strapped for time as the date quickly approaches.

4. Plan Out Food

What's a holiday event without food?

You've figured out the date and decorations, but what are you planning on cooking? Our suggestion is to check your family's recipe book, Pinterest, or YouTube for inspiration. (You may want to do a test run before the day of the party to ensure it'll come out exactly as you expect it to.)

Some other tips we have on food include:

• Make an inventory of what you already have on hand so that you don't overbuy or run out at the last minute. Check expiration dates on perishables like milk and eggs, and plan accordingly if needed.
• Create a shopping list of the things you need to get and purchase them the week of the event.
• Lastly, organize your kitchen space so that you have everything within easy reach when cooking. Make sure there is room for people to move around easily when cooking or serving food items during the party so that no one gets in anyone else's way!

5. Get Homeowners Insurance

As much as we want to believe that everything will go over smoothly, sometimes, that just doesn't happen. That's why you want to get homeowners insurance in the case that a holiday guest gets in an accident at your home. From slipping on a dog toy to contracting food poisoning from your casserole and falling on ice outside your driveway, there are many things that go wrong.

By having comprehensive homeowners insurance, you can protect your home and wallet from holiday disasters.

Protect Your Home from Holiday Disasters with Homeowners Insurance

The more prepared you are before the party starts, the less stressful things will be for you during it.

By decluttering your home, picking out dates that work for everyone, decorating with the season, planning out your food in advance, and getting insurance coverage to cover all of your holiday guests, you will be sure to have the best holiday yet.

Don't have homeowner's insurance? Connect with our team at Lowry Insurance to get a quote today!

Interested in learning how we can improve your policy? Let's talk.