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It’s that time of year, Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas and Hanukkah are on the horizon. Stress anyone? 

Some embrace this time of year with its fun, friends, family and festivities while others are already feeling the pinch of so much to do and not enough time. Whether you’re hosting one of the main events, having a holiday party or even just a small get together, the holidays bring additional to-do’s. 

With everything from holiday house cleaning tips, to how to make your entertaining less stressful, here at Maid For You in Warminster, we’ve got our best tips prepared for you!

Do Your Holiday Meal Planning Now

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Whether it’s grocery lists or packing, having a plan makes everything go smoother and stops that last minute, “oh no what am I going to make?” panic from setting in.

 So before the holidays get here, sit down and make a list of what get togethers you’ll be attending or hosting. Identify the dishes you’re going to make and which ingredients you need to buy right away, and which you can buy in advance. 

An example list might look something like this:

  • Thanksgiving: rolls & green bean casserole
  • Office party: meatballs & little smokies
  • Hanukkah: Kugel
  • Christmas: Apple pie & pumpkin pie
  • New Year’s Eve: Cheese ball & crackers

Shop Early

Once you have your food items accounted for, shop early. What can you buy in advance? Shopping early means there is less risk that you get to the store the day or two before Thanksgiving only to find what you need out of stock or everything picked over! Only get the things that have to be fresh last minute. Items that can be frozen or stored longer like apples, meatballs, cheese and cranberries can be purchased early, along with the non-perishables like crackers, breads etc… 

Not a baker or cook? Buy your pies and premade items now and throw them in the freezer. That pie or those rolls will taste just fine when you pull them out the morning of or the day before your gathering. 

Set-up in Advance

If you’re hosting, do most of your setup 1-2 days in advance.  The night before or even two nights before set your table, get out your dishware and serving ware, and anything you may need. If you’re going to someone else’s house, set your cooler, bags, gifts etc.. by the front door so you can avoid the inevitable last minute scramble. 

Having your table set in advance is a good excuse to unwind and eat in front of the tv for one night or have an indoor picnic and have the family sit on a blanket on the kitchen floor!

Clean Early

We’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you to clean in advance. By doing your deep cleaning the weekend before, think, scrubbing toilets, wiping cabinets, vacuuming, and dusting you’ll reduce feeling like you have a mile long to-do list the day before an event. Almost all of the holiday cleaning can be done in advance. Most people won’t know or care if you vacuumed 6 days ahead of time rather than the day before. Any last minute messes can be handled with a quick tidy the day before or day of. 

No time to clean? Give us a call for a pre-holiday deep cleaning! 215-370-7993.

Keep Disinfecting Wipes on Hand

Your last minute pre-Christmas and Thanksgiving clean-up can be best handled with some disinfecting wipes. The day before or day of do a quick wipe-down of bathroom counters or handles, kitchen counters and any messes or splatters that may have popped up. Our favorites are the safe, non-toxic Soluguard disinfecting wipes from Melaleuca.

20 Minute Tidy-Up

All hands on deck! Our next tip is to do the 20 minute tidy-up. Rope your significant other and kids in for this. So often we find things feel messiest because there is clutter. Give everyone a laundry hamper and send them around the house to grab anything that doesn’t belong and take it back to their room including backpacks, shoes, jackets, toys etc….  You’ll get a quick clean up and as a result, save yourself some time. Also designate and delegate someone to fluff pillows, fold blankets, and do a quick final sweep of the kitchen. 

Make it Fun!

What’s the point of the holidays if you don’t enjoy it? Which is why our next tip is making it fun. This should be a time of year that’s fun and full of festivities. So when you’re cleaning and prepping, pour yourself a favorite beverage and turn on your favorite music. Mariah Carey Christmas anyone???

Order In

Finally, with all the work you’re doing for the holidays, treat yourself and order in dinner on your busiest day. With all the work you’ve earned a little reward. So why not celebrate being done and relax by having someone else take care of dinner. Bonus! You can support local businesses.

Check out these local businesses on the Greater Bucks and Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce. 

Thanks for stopping by! We wish you and yours a happy and low-stress holiday season!