November 23, 2021

5 Tips for Hosting Preparation

I love hosting friends and family. Perhaps that is obvious due to the name of the blog and all of the recipes and ideas Grace and I write about. It really brings me great joy to have people in my home and allow them to relax and enjoy good company.

Sadly, this is something many of us are craving these days. So, for the time being, we will continue sharing our ideas and tips and you can use them whenever you can! Hopefully sooner rather than later. I like to live in a world of education where I am learning even when I can’t put things into practice at the same time.

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving, or even celebrating at home with your immediate family, these tips can be used for any event you are hosting at any time. Being prepared and organized allows you to be a better host and better company for your guests! So, here are the five things I always do the day before hosting in order to alleviate my stress the day of.

Bathrooms

Assuming you have recently cleaned, or have had your house cleaned, then just doing a quick wipe down is all you need just before guests arrive. I am a fan of using clorox wipes (I know, hard to come by these days) in the bathrooms because they smell good and clean and you can do it quickly and just toss them in the garbage. In my opinion, having a fresh clean bathroom is essential for guests to feel comfortable in my home.

Vacuum

Give your house a good sweep to get those last crumbs. If you’re like me, I make everyone eat outside or in the kitchen the day I am hosting so I don’t have to worry about a mess all over the house or in the room my guests will be eating in. If you want to go the extra mile, give it a little swiffer or light mopping to freshen it up even more. You don’t want to be doing this when your guests are on their way, especially if you’re cooking!

Prepare menu ingredients

Obviously, if there are any recipes that allow making ahead a few days, do that! Some do not, so if you have recipes that you must make that day, try to prepare ingredients by measuring or chopping. Doing this just gives you a head start so you don’t have to start from the beginning when it feels like you have a million things to do. In addition, prepping some ingredients helps you to know the recipe better and it will likely be easier for you to follow on the day of.

Set Tables

This may be difficult for some depending on your home, the amount of guests you’re having, and the specific space you’re using; however, if you can, setting most of the tables the day before also helps eliminate stress in the moments leading up to your guests arrival. Clean tables, set out the amount of chairs needed, and set out the table settings or centerpieces if you can. We always recommend using place cards as well, but that is up to you! I feel much better on the day of hosting when I know that I can focus on my food and not the decor.

Take a Deep Breath

This is supposed to be fun! Don’t let the stress and pressure take over. Even if everything isn’t perfect, your guests will still have a great time. You should enjoy this even as well! Hopefully all of your preparing ahead of time helps you in this area as well. Now it’s the night before and whatever will be will be!

So if you’re hosting Thanksgiving this week, I hope these help you to prepare and relax. Even if you’re hosting your own family, make it a special day and pretend you’re hosting out of town guests. If not, I hope you store them away for future events that will happen very frequently once we get past this pandemic life.

Happy hosting!