The holiday season is just around the corner, ushering in the joyful chaos of hosting friends and family for many. From ensuring bathroom cleanliness to creating a comfortable living room, preparing for such gatherings can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, with the right approach, sufficient time, careful attention and a well-prepared Christmas list of errands, it’s entirely manageable.
Whether you’re a first-time host of festive fun or a seasoned pro of the Yuletide, having a structured plan to help tackle the day can be hugely beneficial. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of 50 essential things to get your house & garden Christmas ready for guests.
Why Should You Get Your Home Ready for Christmas?
Before we delve into the specifics of how to prepare your home for Christmas, let's consider some key reasons why investing time in this effort is essential to ensure your Christmas hosting goes smoothly.
Creates a Christmas Spirit
Christmas is more than just a single day on the calendar - it’s a season of joy, an experience of connection and a celebration of togetherness. Preparing your home for the holidays is about more than decorating; it’s a way to embrace the spirit of Christmas and share it with others within your humble abode. By thoughtfully enhancing your space with festive touches, you demonstrate to your guests that you care and value their presence, earning you maximum hosting points all around.
Reduces Stress
For many, the holiday season is undeniably one of the most stressful times of the year. With gifts to track down, Christmas dinner to coordinate and various expectations to meet, it is essential to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. Keeping your home and garden clean, organised and tastefully decorated can help simplify the big day. This will reduce unnecessary stress and allow you to focus on being the perfect host and, most importantly, enjoying your day.
Prevents House Embarrassment
If none of the above resonates with you, consider this: taking proactive steps can help avoid the potential embarrassment of guests noticing neglected or unkempt areas in your home. This phenomenon, often called “housebarrassment” or house shame, is a common experience for many Britons. A 2019 survey about how Brits judge homes found that 73% of us have done something to avoid being judged by visitors, and 79% of us would judge someone else’s house with London ranked the most judgemental city. It stems from discomfort about presenting your home to others and can encompass more than just cleanliness - it may include concerns about style choices, outdated fixtures, or cramped spaces. Strive to create positive memories for your guests rather than ones that may lead to awkward conversations in the future.
What Does Getting Your Home Ready for Christmas Mean?
Regardless of the reason, preparing your home for Christmas ultimately involves creating an atmosphere where your guests feel welcome, cosy and cared for as if they were in their own home. After all, they have chosen to spend this incredibly special time at your place instead of their own, which is a significant responsibility.
If you're feeling panicked, don’t worry! Preparing your home for Christmas is also a great opportunity to focus on areas that may have been neglected throughout the year with some extra care. It’s the perfect time to get things done.
5 Must-Do Areas to Get Your Home Ready For Christmas
Getting your home ready for Christmas involves taking a thorough look at your space and performing checks to ensure each area meets the festive criteria you envision - both inside and out. Think of it as a "house MOT" to prepare your home for the holiday season, making it festive, functional and guest-ready.
To help you complete your Christmas housing MOT with ease, we’ve broken down the process into five essential tasks. These steps will ensure every corner of your space is perfectly suited for creating those magical holiday memories.
- Cleaning: First and foremost, clean! Conduct a thorough deep cleaning of all rooms to prepare them for guests and ensure no surprises remain.
- Organising: Once cleaned, ensure that all spaces, especially communal ones, are clutter-free and functional.
- Comfort: Prepare guest rooms with thoughtful details, such as fresh bedding and extra blankets. Anything to make their stay much more comfortable.
- Outdoor Prep: Create a welcoming, well-maintained garden and driveway with festive lighting and decorations so guests who may want to embrace the cold can enjoy your outside space with a cup of mulled wine.
- Decorating: Lastly, once everything has been cleared and cleaned, bring in the festive touches, such as lights, garlands and wreaths. After all, it is Christmas!
50 Essential Tasks to Get Your House & Garden Christmas Ready for Guests
Now that we've explained the reasons for preparation and some general approaches, it's time to delve into the specifics. Each area of your home has its unique requirements, and these are often the things that get overlooked in the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations. Taking the time to address these details will ensure that every room is ready to welcome guests and create a festive atmosphere.
So, here it is, from the bathroom to the kitchen, our list of 50 things to do to get your house & garden Christmas ready for guests.
Give Your Bathrooms & Ensuites Some TLC
- Check toilet seat integrity: We’ve all experienced the frustration of a loose or faulty toilet seat. Ensure guest comfort and safety during their private time with a newly installed seat, cover or hinges. A new, well-fitted seat will provide a more comfortable experience for everyone.
- Test plugs and wastes: Fix any drainage issues with basins and bathtubs to ensure smooth water flow. Replace faulty bath and basin wastes to prevent any frustrating blockages or slow drains, allowing your guests to enjoy their time without any interruptions.
- Inspect toilets: Ensure toilets are flushing correctly by checking the mechanisms inside. If necessary, replace any faulty parts such as valves or flush buttons to avoid issues with clogged or malfunctioning toilets.
- Check shower seals and rollers: Inspect your shower seals and rollers for wear and tear. Replace any damaged seals or rollers to prevent leaks and ensure smooth operation.
- Fix leaky taps or showers: Stop those pesky drips by cleaning or replacing the cartridges in your bathroom taps or showers. Even minor leaks can waste water and be an annoyance.
- Replace old accessories. Refresh your bathroom by replacing any old, tatty old toilet accessories with new, stylish ones. A fresh toilet brush, soap dispenser, or towel rack can breathe new life into the space, making it feel clean and inviting.
- Clean glass screens. Remove stains and smudges from bath screens and shower enclosures for a sparkling finish that will leave guests feeling pampered.
Prepare the Bedrooms
- Refresh bedding: Replace old duvets, sheets and pillowcases that may be stained or worn out or simply not guest-friendly.
- Streamline storage: Create a designated closet or drawer space for guests who may be staying for an extended period.
- Donate toys: It’s the perfect time to encourage children to declutter their unwanted toys and items, donate those that are in working condition, and recycle any that are broken.
- Re-sort items: It’s also the perfect time for unused personal items found in bedrooms to be donated or recycled, making a more organised and open space for guests, or simply making room for any Christmas gifting items that family may be giving you.
Deep Clean Your Kitchen & Dining Room
- Clean & polish plates and cutlery: To make your dinner table that little bit more lavish, ensure all special plates, cutlery, glasses and crockery are clean and presentable. A solution of one part white vinegar and eight parts hot water, then soak for 5-10 minutes, rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth.
- Upgrade table linens: If your tablecloth is looking a little bit worse for wear and has seen a few too many Christmas dinners, maybe you’re due an upgrade. Change the scene this year and get a new festive tablecloth to wow your guests.
- Pick up some placemats: While you’re out getting a new tablecloth, why not get new mats as well? Match with the tablecloth to make it a special dinner.
- Deep clean appliances: The kitchen is the heart of Christmas day; everything must be ship-shaped and ready for action. This means that all appliances should be working properly, which unfortunately includes the dreaded task of cleaning the oven - and degreasing those stove tops!
- Extractor fan clean-out: For better efficiency during a busy kitchen and to remove the potential of unpleasant cooking odours lingering, make sure to give your extractor fan a thorough clean. This means washing fan blades or filters (if you have them). We recommend a solution of dishwashing soap and a sprinkle of baking soda into the water.
- Clean the microwave: Remove those lingering stains and dried-on smells for a microwave that spins with a shine.
- Descale the kettle: While it's not harmful to ingest, limescale is unappealing. It can give your water a slightly metallic flavour and manifest itself as flakes in drinks. Descale the kettle using strong vinegar.
- Inspect cookware: To cook up a storm, you need the right tools. Check that all panhandles and non-stick surfaces are in good condition; replace the pans if necessary.
- Tidy the fridge before the big shop: Before the big shopping trip, tidy up the fridge. Clean the shelves by removing any food debris, remove any drawers or shelves and give these a thorough rinse, and organise compartments to make room for all those sprouts! Don't forget to unblock the draining hole at the back to stop any water leaking out.
- Declutter cupboards: The same as above - ensure that you have adequate space to store food and goods while also cleaning grease and dirt from cupboard doors, and especially the tops, where grease from cookery throughout the year can build up and hide away.
- Defrost and tidy the kitchen freezer: Keep food storage space optimised by removing any unwanted ice buildup by defrosting it. Remove any daily items into a cool bag or box, while you leave the door open and power off for any built up ice to melt and drain into a container.
- Prep the chest or storage freezer: If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor - or indoor for that matter - chest or storage freezer, sort out and organise this, as well as ridding yourself of any items that are no longer needed to make space for all those Christmas leftovers and extras for over the party season.
Spruce Up Your Living Room
- Clean upholstery: Remove and wash any cushion covers from sofas or settees to eliminate unsightly stains, hair, or food debris. Do not forget to hoover, clean down the backs, sides and any cracks in the sofa.
- Stock up on firewood: If you have a fireplace or a wood-burning stove, take advantage of it by ensuring a good supply of firewood that is stored in a dry place to keep your guests warm in the living room.
- Coaster check: Provide an ample supply of coasters, readily available for visitors to place their cups of mulled wine on, and to avoid staining or damaging any important or sentimental furniture pieces.
Don’t Neglect Your Garden & Driveway
- Remove weeds: Weeds be gone! Get the weed killer ready and start spraying to eliminate any unsightly weeds that may appear.
- Prune trees and shrubs: Prune back any trees or shrubs that require to be done so over winter ready, as well as getting rid of overgrown branches, ready for Spring growth. Remember to leave any trees or shrubs with berries for birds though, as this is a form of food over the winter months.
- Rake leaves and fallen fruits: Ensure your spaces are free from any soggy leaves and rotten fruit that make a garden look untidy, your guests may step on or, worse, slip on!
- Trim any grass back: If grass is overgrown, cut back and areas that require tidying including edges and the top to make this look more respectable. If you are fortunate to have a compost bin, put any cuttings into here to decompose over the winter months.
- Protect plants: Use frost blankets to safeguard any delicate plants from freezing temperatures.
- Winterise outdoor plumbing: Turn off, drain and isolate outdoor taps to avoid burst pipes and damaged fixtures.
- Unblock drainpipes: Clear gutters and drains to avoid blockages from debris, as well as anything backing up into your plumbing system during winter that can cause burst pipes, blockages, or cause flooding in kitchens and bathrooms.
- Replace doormats: Provide a clean, inviting mat for guests at the entrance.
General House Tasks
- Clean windows: Ensure all windows are smudge, stain and dirt-free – from the inside and out. Grime can build up over a few months, especially if you do not have a regular window cleaner. A crystal-clear view will ensure that guests have a great view out of windows, especially if snow recreates a picture-postcard scene.
- Replace lamp and lightbulbs: Check every room to make sure lights are working, replacing any burnt-out bulbs to ensure a well-lit and warm space.
- Bleed radiators: This may have already been done as we moved into the colder months, however, if you have rooms that may not be used on a daily basis this can get missed. Bleed all radiators to ensure they are heating efficiently. Don’t leave your guests in the cold this Christmas.
- Dust ornaments: If a mantelpiece or window-ledge is decorated with items, don't forget these can be dust magnets! Carefully dust and polish ornaments or decorative items on display.
- Clean photo frames: More dust magnets! These are often overlooked dust collectors. Wipe down and polish all photo frames to ensure they are spotless and ready to showcase cherished memories.
- Clean and dust light shades: Ceiling light shades and lamps can attract everything from dust to the remnants of dead insects, as well as cobwebs if the weekly dusting misses this. Take down all light shades and give them a thorough clean; a simple step that can brighten your space.
- Replace towels with new, fluffy ones: Towels can become hard and uncomfortable after regular use. As such, replace these with new, fresh, soft, fluffy ones for guests to enjoy after a bath. Even better, keep them warm using a towel radiator for an added touch of luxury.
- Declutter Storage: Communal areas, drawers, and daily living spaces can get quickly filled up with lots of unnecessary items or things that can be disposed of. Get ahead of the spring clean by decluttering shared spaces now to make it spick and span.
- Don't forget car prep: If you are doing essential tasks such as tip runs, stocking up on food, getting all those important Christmas decorations, and finalising everything for being ready for the big day, or simply making some long journeys over the festive period, you don't want to be caught short with a broken down vehicle or stuck in inclement weather. Worse still, you do not want to be stuck in the event or need of an emergency shopping trip for any forgotten items. Get the car serviced, stock up on de-icer, and get those winter car essentials in good time to give yourself peace of mind, you are prepared come what may.
General Christmas Tasks
- Test Christmas and fairy lighting: Check all necessary Christmas lights are in working order and ready to go. There is always that one bulb that is missing or has gone out that may need replacing. Remember, the goal is to create a festive atmosphere, not to outshine your neighbours—it's not a competition.
- Decorations: Check all existing decorations, dispose of any old or damaged ones that, and consider refreshing your collection with a few new, on-trend pieces.
- Be wrap read: Stock up on plenty of wrapping paper in various sizes and designs. Ensure you have options for different occasions, from elegant Christmas gifts to fun designs for kids.
- Stock up on stationery essentials: Stock up on the tools for wrapping - stationery essentials such as tape and blu-tac. Having extras will save you from last-minute shopping trips.
- Update addresses: If you Double-check the addresses of holiday card recipients, especially for friends or family who may have moved, as well as for any friends or distant family members you plan to visit over the Christmas period.
- Plan your tree: Measure your available space to ensure your Christmas tree fits comfortably. Decide between a real or artificial tree, and gather the necessary tools for setup, like a stand or water container for a live tree.
- Calendar prep: Keep a holiday calendar for meal planning, gift buying and guest schedules, as well as moving all those important dates and information across for the New Year on to your 2025 calendar.
And there we have it. By following this comprehensive guide, you should be able to create a clean, organised and welcoming home that is perfectly prepared for the Christmas festivities. With these tasks checked off, you can relax and enjoy the season knowing your home is ready to impress.
Get A Downloadable Christmas Checklist To Get Your House Ready
We’ve converted this list of tasks into a downloadable infographic checklist, refined for you to take away and view at your leisure. Stay organised and make your Christmas stress-free, wherever you go. Simply click on the image below to find the full size version and