Holiday Entertaining: Prepping Your Home for Overnight Guests

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Clean And Decorate Every Space:

It’s sounds self-explanatory, but bears repeating. You don’t want to be racing around trying to clean up your home before the guests arrive. Instead, do a deep clean of the whole house when you drag those decorations out of the attic. Make sure to leave a few hints toward holiday spirit in each room: festive sheets, towels, or wreaths, even if you’re not sure when family will show up on the doorstep. Then, as the date gets closer, all you need to do is give their areas a quick wipe down.

Image Via: Christa Delgato

Prepare A Local Welcome Basket:

We all know the stress of trying to balance hosting friends and keeping up with your other obligations. They may be on vacation, but odds are that you still have to work and shuttle the kids to a million different activities. Take some of the pressure off of your shoulders by putting together some suggestions of local activities for your guests to enjoy while you are away. If they’re available, opt for holiday-centric favorites like apple picking, pumpkin patches, or places to go sledding.

Image Via: Elizabeth Anne Designs

Serve Seasonal Comfort Foods:

Every great hotel comes with a fabulous breakfast spread, right? Recreate the feel at home by offering up a warm meal to help your guests start the morning off right. Give a nod to the time of year by incorporating seasonal flavors: apples, cinnamon, peppermint. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to spend your time slaving over a stove. Focus on make-ahead recipes like these pumpkin cinnamon rolls that are easy to bake off in the morning.

Image Via: 7^th House on the Left

Don’t Forget A Gift:

It is the holiday season. Everyone should get a little something special. These gifts don’t have to break bank. Instead of looking at the price tag, focus on giving your guests a small trinket that lets them know you’re excited to see them. A mini hot chocolate kit like the one above is a great choice or even a bar of seasonally-scented soap. If you really want to go above and beyond, consider your guests individual personalities before picking the perfect items.

Image Via: Kristy.com

As much as we love holiday entertaining, it can easily turn into a chore. But hosting overnight guests shouldn’t be stressful. By taking care of some prep work in advance of their arrival, you can make sure that you enjoy the visit as much as they do. Follow the tips above and you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and spend time with your loved ones. That, after all, is what the holidays are truly about.

Who do you host over the holidays? Do you have any tips to impress your guests? Share them with us in the comments.

For more holiday inspiration, take a look at Stagetecture’s archives.

Holiday entertaining is always fun and inviting over friends, family and co-workers during this busy holiday season is always welcomed with joy and anticipation. Whether you are serving up a house full of guests, are an intimate gathering, who doesn’t love holiday finger food? These Cheddar Cheese Straws are perfect for your party. Thanks Southern Living for this great recipe.

Holiday Finger Food Favorite: Cheddar Cheese Straw Recipe

Image via: Southern Living

Ingredients

1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon half-and-half

Image via: Martha Stewart

Directions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor; pulse in 5-second intervals until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add half-and-half, and process 10 seconds or until dough forms a ball.
2. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and roll into an 8- x 10-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut dough with a sharp knife into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips, dipping knife in flour after each cut to ensure clean cuts. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until ends are slightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack 30 minutes. Break into desired lengths.
4. Note: To make cheese rounds, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness, and cut with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake and cool as directed. Freeze baked cheese straws or rounds in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Note:
Baking time is 12 minutes per batch.

For more holiday recipes on Stagetecture, click here.