Getting ready for holiday guests

Dec 09, 2013

Christmas is a time of friends and family, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your circumstances.

If you live interstate, there’s a good chance that friends or relatives will choose to stay with you during Christmas or in the summer. Having house guests can be extremely stressful but with a little careful planning it can also be a wonderful way to spend quality time with loved ones.

Here are some tips for surviving house guests:

Start planning early – Before your guests arrive, make sure that you have everything you want done, such as your Christmas shopping, so that you have plenty of time to dedicate to your guests.

Clean the house – will you be moving furniture to make room for mattresses? Don’t get caught out with mess behind the lounge. However, remember your guests are coming to see you and won’t be judging you on how clean your house is so don’t kill yourself cleaning it.

Plan some meals – Knowing what to cook for a large group of people is hard and there’s only so much takeaway you can handle. Stock the pantry with ingredients for quick and easy meals, or if you have time bake some meals and freeze them in advance.

Organise sleeping arrangements – this can be very difficult when space is limited. Consider moving furniture out of your study or rumpus room to create a spare bedroom. This gives your guests privacy and ensures you aren’t tripping over each other. Containaway can deliver a mobile storage container to your front door and then securely store your furniture in one of our warehouses while you have guests.

Remember to relax – it may be easier said than done but make sure you take the time to enjoy the company of your guests at this special time of year.