• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
    • IF YOU’RE NEW HERE…
    • WORK WITH US
    • 11 MAGNOLIA LANE 101
    • DISCLOSURE + PRIVACY (the fine print)
    • BEST OF 11 MAGNOLIA LANE
  • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • CHRISTY’S MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
    • CHRISTY’S MCC HOUSE
    • Christy’s Stuttgart Flat
    • Amy’s Virginia Craftsman Home Tour
    • AMY’S VIRGINIA CRAFTSMAN Building Process
    • HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SERIES
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • EVENTS + ENTERTAINING
    • GIFTS
    • HOLIDAYS
    • RECIPES
  • HOME
    • CLEANING
    • DECORATING
    • ORGANIZING
    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
      • CLOSETS
      • CRAFT ROOMS + OFFICES
      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
      • OTHER SPACES
      • PANTRIES
      • PLAYROOMS + BONUS ROOMS
      • PORCHES + OUTDOOR SPACES
    • TIPS
  • SHOP
    • SHOP OUR INSTAGRAM
    • SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE
    • FRIDAY FAVORITE FINDS
  • PROJECTS
    • CRAFTS
    • DIY PROJECTS + TUTORIALS
    • FURNITURE
    • PRINTABLES
    • WINDOWS, DOORS, + WALLS
  • LIFE
    • FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL
    • HEALTH
    • SIMPLY ON SUNDAY
  • TRAVEL
  • CONTACT
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

11 Magnolia Lane

Sharing our easy DIYs, decorating, entertaining and more!

Easy Ways to Get Ready for Holiday Guests

November 22, 2019 By Christy 2 Comments

This Post Contains Affiliate Links

29 shares

This post is sponsored by Spot Shot® Instant Carpet Stain Remover. All opinions are my own.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s the most social time of the year, too! Making memories with family and friends is one of the best parts of the holidays, and with a little pre-planning, it doesn’t have to be stressful.

Today I’m going to share a few easy tips that will keep your holiday game on track, whether you’re hosting a huge bash, a quiet dinner, or a house full of guests.

Plan Ahead

A little preplanning goes a long way when it comes to reducing entertaining stress. I keep the ingredients for a few easy appetizer ideas on hand at all times during November and December in case friends drop by, and I try to double (and then freeze) some of our favorite meals for the same reason.

If you like to plan out your holiday on paper, then let me recommend our holiday planner. Download it for free and then print it at home or the office supply store.

A free holiday printable planner to help organize your holiday season
Just enter your name and email address and click below to download our 22-page holiday printable planner. It’s our gift to you!

Don’t Strive for Perfection

My holiday mantra is “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Your home doesn’t have to be picture-perfect to be perfectly hospitable!

If you want to host a large group but don’t want to be in the kitchen days ahead of time preparing, ask everyone to bring a dish to share, or set up a simple self-serve menu. Soup and sweets is one of my favorite holiday themed parties, and of course wine and cheese is always a crowd pleaser and so easy.

| DIY Cheese Board |

Keep the Guest Room Ready

We host a lot of overnight guests and so I always try to have the guest room ready with clean sheets and lots of fluffy pillows. During the holidays, I try to change the sheets and wash the towels as soon as one guest leaves so we’re ready in case another one drops in unexpectedly or my oldest comes home from college for the weekend.

A few years ago, I wrote a detailed post on what makes a well-stocked guest bedroom; see it here for more ideas on making your guest room a cozy retreat

| See more of this bedroom |

Set Up a Coffee Station

This is one of my survival techniques when we have houseguests because I am NOT a morning person. This way, everyone can brew their own cup of joe and I can roll over and catch forty more winks while they get caffeinated.

Christmas coffee bar | 11 Magnolia Lane

If there are kids in the group, add hot chocolate and marshmallows.

| Hot Chocolate Bar |

Make Clean Up Easy

Don’t be afraid to use plastic and paper products to make cleanup fast and easy; if ever there was a time to employ modern conveniences, this is it! Make sure all of your guests know where to find the trash and recycling and with any luck most of the mess will take care of itself.

When the fun’s over, there are invariably spots and spills that need to be cleaned up, and we are brand loyal to Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover. There’s nothing better for removing food and drink stains on your carpets and area rugs–even the dreaded red wine spills! Amy and I have used Spot Shot for years, especially because it works so well on older stains that have had time to set.

Spot Shot

We also keep Spot Shot® Pet Instant Carpet Stain & Odor Eliminator on hand because Harley and Brontë are important–and sometimes messy–members of the family. If there’s a better time to drag a completely full bag of trash around the house, Harley doesn’t know when it is!

Just spray, let the foam soak in, wait five minutes, and blot with a white cloth or towel.

Spot Shot Pet

Repeat as needed until you’re thrilled with the results:

Entertaining is so much easier when clean up is a breeze!

To learn more about Spot Shot and get lots of great cleaning tips, visit the Stain Fighting Community on Facebook.

Spot Shot is available at Walmart stores nationwide. Click here to find a store near you, and don’t forget to grab your $1 off coupon here.

Happy entertaining, and thanks for stopping by!

If you enjoyed this post, we’d love to have you subscribe to our Sunday newsletter where we share our content and other fun things we’ve found to inspire your day. You can sign up here:

Final New Christy headshot 2015

icon-facebook-1icon-instagram-1icon-pinterest-1icon-twitter-1
Click here to subscribe

Filed Under: Christmas, Cleaning, Holiday Entertaining, Holidays, HOLIDAYS, Reviews/Sponsored Posts Tagged With: entertaining, guests, holidays

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marty says

    November 22, 2019 at 8:37 am

    All super great ideas. Thanks

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 23, 2019 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks, Marty! Have a great weekend.Christy

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Lowest prices. Straight Teeth,

•Don’t Miss A Thing!!•

•Do You Know Jesus?•

•Featured In•

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2022 · 11 Magnolia Lane· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer
Privacy Policy

11 MAGNOLIA LANE IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE, WE EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL OTHER AFFILIATE PROGRAMS; THIS INCOME ALLOWS US TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF YOUR USER EXPERIENCE AND KEEPS OUR CONTENT FREE. WHEN YOU PURCHASE THROUGH ANY OF OUR AFFILIATE LINKS, WE EARN A SMALL COMMISSION AND YOU DON’T PAY A CENT MORE THAN YOU WOULD OTHERWISE; THAT WOULD BE TACKY!   READ OUR FULL PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE POLICY {HERE}.
  ©11 Magnolia Lane 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s authors and/or owners is strictly prohibited. Please email us at admin@11magnolialane.com for more information.

  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
    • IF YOU’RE NEW HERE…
    • WORK WITH US
    • 11 MAGNOLIA LANE 101
    • DISCLOSURE + PRIVACY (the fine print)
    • BEST OF 11 MAGNOLIA LANE
    • Back
  • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • CHRISTY’S MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
    • CHRISTY’S MCC HOUSE
    • AMY’S NEW HOME BUILD
    • HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SERIES
    • SPRING HOME TOUR SERIES
    • Back
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • EVENTS + ENTERTAINING
    • GIFTS
    • HOLIDAYS
    • RECIPES
    • Back
  • HOME
    • CLEANING
    • DECORATING
    • ORGANIZING
    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
      • CLOSETS
      • CRAFT ROOMS + OFFICES
      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
      • OTHER SPACES
      • PANTRIES
      • PLAYROOMS + BONUS ROOMS
      • PORCHES + OUTDOOR SPACES
      • Back
    • TIPS
    • Back
  • SHOP
    • SHOP OUR INSTAGRAM
    • SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE
    • FRIDAY FAVORITE FINDS
    • 11 ML ETSY SHOP
    • 11ML ORGANIZING SHOP
    • Back
  • PROJECTS
    • CRAFTS
    • DIY PROJECTS + TUTORIALS
    • FURNITURE
    • PRINTABLES
    • WINDOWS, DOORS, + WALLS
    • Back
  • LIFE
    • FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL
    • HEALTH
    • SIMPLY ON SUNDAY
    • TRAVEL
    • Back
  • CONTACT
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
29 shares