It’s that time of year for hosting lots of fun Holiday parties, cookie swaps, family gatherings and other social events. You are the hostess with the mostest and a party planning ninja! I made this quick little checklist of things I often have forgotten to do right before my guests arrive. I hope this little check-list saves you from a few embarrassing moments.
1. A LITTLE “YOU TIME”
Of course you want everything – the house, the table, the food, etc., to be perfect when your guests start arriving. It’s easy to forget to make sure the hostess with the mostest (YOU!) are ready to receive your guests. Since you cannot disappear to take a shower, put on make-up and style your hair, after your guests arrive, make sure you schedule time to get it done before the start of your event. I’ve been known to put this off until last, and, well, there is always one more thing to make perfect. If you rush through your own personal preparation, you won’t feel relaxed and neither will your guests. You can finish food prep and making your home perfect once a couple guests arrive and entertain each other. They might even help with those little details, but they cannot help you with your shower…LOL!
Take a YOU moment, so you look your best!
Then right before guests arrive pop in your powder room and check your hair and make-up. Our master bedroom is upstairs, so I keep a small stash of lipstick and powder downstairs to I can touch-up quick.
2. REFILLS PLEASE
There is nothing worse than being a guest and finding a powder room with no rolls of toilet paper! Okay there are worse things, but this one is embarrassing for the guest and the hostess. So make sure you dash into the powder room to refill the bath tissue with a fresh roll and make sure back-ups are available close at hand for your guests. You might even do a nice fold on the end to make things even more welcoming!
Prevent this embarrassing moment for you and your guests!
Another, easy to forget refill is the hand soap. Be sure your kitchen and powder room soap dispensers are full of hand soap. Be sure to wipe off the little pump on your soap dispensers, too! No one likes the little soap buggers hanging off the pump. For a little extra niceness add a tray of mouthwash or mints and some hand lotion for your guests.
3. SET THE MOOD
Yes, I have been half-way through a party and realized, very embarrassingly, that I forget to light the candles. To set the mood, just a few minutes before your event begins:
Light any candles that are part of your decorations
Turn on any lighted decorations
Start the music – it’s nice to have a little background music to set the tone – just not too loud
Check each room to make sure candles and other decorations are lit.
4. SEEN AND NOT HEARD
Have you ever seen an old movie where they say the kids should be seen and not heard? Remember in Sound of Music, where the kids had to watch the party from the stairs and then go to bed? We don’t do that anymore, but we do need to prepare our kids for the event. If you are not sending them off to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, be sure to talk to them (that day and several days before) about what is expected.
The day of the event maybe have a special tread for them to share with any other attending children – like a new set of coloring books and crayons. For our annual Christmas open house we plan a craft for any kids attending to make and take home. Usually the adults end up crafting with us!
Prepare your child and your pets for the big event!
Your pets should be on their best behavior as well. If you have a breed of dog that tends to get really excited when there are guests, you might consider talking to your vet about a prescription for some calming medication to be used when you have a lot of people visiting.
Our female boxer hates wearing her shirts and tends to sulk in her bed when we put one on her, so usually that works for us. I haven’t tried the calming vests, but if you have, please comment below and let us know if they work. Having a special tread for them that will take a while for them to work through will help as well. A Kong filled with frozen peanut butter works wonders! Everlasting treats are a good distractions, too.
5. BABY IT’S COLD OUT THERE
Take a moment to make sure your coat closet has enough hangers for guests to hang their coats. Also, know where to tell ladies they can leave their purses.
6. FIFTEEN MINUTES OUT
Check the powder room, again to make sure the mirror is not smudged and the faucet is nice and shiny!
Clean glass on front door – again, those crazy dogs left nose prints and your toddler left more jelly on the glass than he ate!
YOU DID IT
Your event starts at 5 p.m. and it’s 4:50 p.m. Take a moment to survey all you have accomplished. Your decorations are beautiful. The food is yummy. You look adorable. Take a deep breath and appreciate your own talents. Happily anticipate the fun evening ahead of you, after all you are the Hostess with the Mostest!
I hope this little list of reminders helps you have an awesome event or several of them! If you have any embarrassing moments or last minute party tips to share, please post in the comments section. I cannot wait to hear from you!
