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How to Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

How to Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

Mixed race family preparing a holiday mealFrom the living room to the guest room (and don’t forget about the kids’ rooms!), there’s a lot to clean, prep, and rearrange as you get your home ready for holiday guests. It can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Make a plan and get your home ready for the holidays with our day-by-day guide.

Day 1: Optimize your living and gathering spaces.

When it’s time to get your home ready for holiday guests, make sure your living room has enough seating for everyone to gather around, catch up, and enjoy each other’s company.

Rearrange furniture to encourage conversation and leave enough room between chairs, sofas, and coffee tables for guests to walk around. If you want a more straightforward seating solution, revamp your living room with a new, larger couch or sectional to maximize your home’s potential.

You’ll likely have more people than usual dining in your home for the holidays. Is your dining table wobbly or too small for everyone to fit? If so, bring in a rent to own dining set from Rent-A-Center so everyone can be comfortable for your holiday feast. You’ll find stylish and affordable options, and one of our friendly team members can help you get free delivery and set up! That way, you can focus on mashing the potatoes, catching up over cranberry sauce, and getting stuffed on stuffing!

Day 2: Refresh your guest room.

If your guest room isn’t exactly inviting, don’t fret! Creating the perfect guest room is simple, with a bit of thoughtful planning and some help from Rent-A-Center. Basic upgrades like a new mattress and gorgeous bedroom furniture will ensure your guests are well-rested (and impressed). Additional touches like snacks, extra toiletries, and even an in-room TV will help your guests feel right at home during the holiday festivities.

Day 3: Decorate.

Once your furniture is ready for holiday shenanigans, it’s time to spruce up your home! Keep your decor organized by doing all your decorating in one day—rather than spreading it out over days or weeks!

If this sounds daunting to you, assign each family member one room of the house, and let everyone’s creativity transform your home into a holiday haven. Divide the work up by rooms, and you can easily conquer post-holiday cleanup! Don’t fret too much about decor, though — your guests are coming to see you, not your holiday decorations. Give yourself some grace!

For inspiration, check out these creative ways to use twinkle lights and Instagram-worthy DIY holiday decorations for less than $10.

Day 4: Plan your meals before heading to the grocery store.

You’ve always wanted to make your grandma’s signature meatloaf recipe for the holiday crowd, and now’s your chance! Write out what meals you want to make in advance, broken down into breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts/snacks.

Then, determine precisely when you’ll want to make each item (this is especially important if your guests are staying multiple days). Finally, gather all your recipes at once.

Make your grocery list accordingly, and make a note of any work that needs to be done in advance, such as marinating meat or chilling a dish overnight in the fridge.

Strapped for time? Try an online grocery pickup or delivery service in your area. And don’t forget about non-food essentials you might need, like extra laundry detergent, hand soap, and toilet paper!

Day 5: Prep your kitchen.

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home (especially during the holiday season), and it warrants a whole day of preparation when you’re getting your home ready for the holidays. Take a good look around. Can your kitchen handle your grand plans for hosting holiday guests this year? Now is not the time for your dishwasher to be on the fritz. If it’s been acting up lately, get a new, affordable dishwasher delivered before your guests arrive.

Hosting an extra-large gathering and not sure if you’ll have enough refrigerator space for food and drinks? No problem. Get an inexpensive fridge to keep in the garage!

Now is also the time to double-check that you have enough plates, silverware, napkins, and serving dishes for the meals you have planned. Let your family members know ahead of time when you’ll need help in the kitchen. Pro tip: have them help you with those advance prep tasks you identified on day four! Dishes will pile up quickly, so gather a group of volunteers to take turns loading and unloading the dishwasher as needed!

Day 6: Clean your home.

By now, you’ve rearranged, decorated, and prepped—and it’s time to clean up the mess you’ve left behind! The Cleaning Institute has a handy guide for stress-free holiday cleaning. Assign specific tasks to the kids and block off at least a few hours during the day for the whole family to tag team the cleaning process. Don’t forget to assign someone to laundry duty so you don’t run out of clean kitchen rags and bathroom towels.

Day 7: Get into the holiday spirit!

You don’t want to be exhausted when your guests show up, so try and have “everything” done one full day before they arrive. That extra day will give you some time to recharge and remember small tasks you may have forgotten!

Once you’ve finished getting your home ready for the holidays, take the evening to unwind and truly usher in the holiday season for yourself. Relax into the holiday mindset so you’ll be able to welcome your guests with a clear head.

The day your guests arrive:

If you have time, bake some holiday goodies the day your guests are scheduled to arrive. They’ll feel special when they have a treat waiting for them, and your home will smell delightful—a win-win for all! If you’re not the baking type, light a holiday candle or try some stovetop potpourri instead. Festive!

Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays with Rent-to-Own Furniture

Memories and magic: This season can be full of both for you and your family. Let us help! Shop at your local Rent-A-Center and your rent-to-own furniture items will be professionally delivered and set up at no extra charge** – on the same day, in most cases.

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The good things in life don’t have to be out of reach. Rent-A-Center is here to make the things you want and need accessible, and Front & Center is your resource for living well on a budget.

Each week, we’ll bring you tips and tricks for infusing simplicity, style—even a little fun—into every aspect of your life and home. From decorating advice to money-saving strategies to opportunities to share with others like you, we’ll give you ideas that inspire. Live well, friends. And send your submissions, suggestions and questions for the blog to blog@rentacenter.com. For all customer service inquiries, please contact our Solution Center team at 1-800-422-8186.