Preparing for Holiday Entertaining

Ohmygosh! You just scraped the last jack o' lantern off the front porch step, and it's already time to start preparing for holiday entertaining.

Then, we're full-throttle into the holiday whirlwind of activity that culminates in a New Year's Eve bang. What's a temporally challenged hostess to do? Easy. Take some deep breaths, and let's get organized.

Preparing for holiday entertaining is as straightforward as fine-tuning a few little pesky details now so that entertaining will be a breeze.

Preparing for Holiday Entertaining: The Partyware

Got guests coming for Thanksgiving dinner? Or for the first night of Hanukkah? Maybe you're having a Christmas cocktail party. Don't wait till the guests rsvp to begin preparing for holiday entertaining.

Here are things you can do ahead of time to be cool, calm, and collected when you open the door.

Clean the silver: Get out the silver utensils, serving dishes, and candlesticks and give them a good cleaning and polishing.

Clean china and crystal: Save time by popping the holiday china and crystal in the dishwasher several days or weeks before the big event. Then you don't have to worry about spots and dust when you're setting the table. Most modern china and crystal is dishwasher safe, so you can trust your dishwasher to handle these delicate items with care. If you have any reservations about their safety, test wash one piece before filling the racks. Hand-wash heirlooms and pieces trimmed in gold or silver.

Holiday linens: Inspect and clean your festive tablecloths, runners, napkins, and placemats.

Flowers: Plan or order your centerpiece for your dining room table and other floral arrangements. (Idea: Drape leftover Halloween pumpkins with autumn leaves and spray paint the whole thing gold for an effortless, elegant centerpiece.)

Preparing the Rest of Your Home

Coat closet: Empty your coat closet so it can contain all your guests' coats. Position a coat rack or wicker bins where guests can leave purses, umbrellas, gloves, etc.

Fireplace: Clean the hearth, fireplace screen or door, and tools. Have wood and matches at the ready.

Preparing for holiday entertaining - give the fireplace a quick cleaning.

Traffic plan: Your regular floor plan may not accommodate a large number of people. Move furniture to create intimate conversation areas and good traffic flow. Set up the bar in the living room or den to keep people out of the kitchen.

Guest room: Remove most of your items so the room will feel their own during their stay. Empty drawers and closets so they can unpack. Ensure they have an alarm clock, radio, reading lamp, and books or magazines. Leave a basket of fruits and snacks and some bottled water. Their room should be their little refuge if they need some downtime (you might need some, too). Install a night light to prevent falls in strange rooms in the dark.

Guest bath: Again, empty some drawers so they have a place to put their toiletries. Ensure the guest bathroom is sparkling clean, and put out new towels and soaps. Do not put lighted candles in the bathroom if there will be children running around. Remove your medications and supplies from the medicine cabinet and stock it with aspirin, antacids, cough drops, toothpaste, shampoo, and other items they might need.

Declutter Your Home

Go through your home and remove nonessentials from every surface. Put them in a box in the attic until after the holidays.

This action serves many purposes: It removes delicate items that visitors might inadvertently break, clears surfaces for drinks, and clears surfaces for holiday decorations.

And finally, you might decide you can live without that junk and get rid of it for good. Wow, the house is looking great. Your holiday season is off to a good start!