By Anna Rogan
With less than six weeks until Christmas now is the perfect time to start planning to make sure your home is in tip-top condition for guests and gatherings. In this article, we’ll look at the top nine things to do to get your home Christmas ready in the weeks leading up to the holidays.
1) Declutter – Go through the rooms of your house one at a time with an eye to clearing out the things you don’t need any more. Clothes, toys, foot spas, pasta makers, that old dog bed and treadmill gathering dust in the spare room. Make three piles, one for throwing away, one for donating, and one for selling.
2) Donate or sell unwanted goods – If you have a big enough pile of sellable, consider holding a garage sale. If you only have a few items, listing them on eBay or Gumtree can be a quick way to move them on.
For goods that you wish to donate, call ahead or check online to make sure your local op shop will take them. Some op shops will even pick up certain items from your home. If you’re unable to donate to an op shop, you could try listing the items for free on Gumtree or ziilch.
3) Deep clean – Write a list of big jobs that haven’t been done in a while like cleaning the oven and range hood, dusting cobwebs from cornices, wiping down skirting boards and cleaning out the pantry. Make sure you tick things off the list as you go, it’s the best part.
4) Gardening – Ditch those weeds, give your lawns some love and enjoy the blooming roses. Make it fun! It is the social season after all, why not consider inviting some friends and family around for a gardening bee and throw a low key BBQ. They might be willing to help if they know the work is in aid of Christmas parties you’ll be hosting later in the season.
5) Create a warm and welcoming space for guests – If you have guests coming to stay, think about what might make their time at your home a little more comfortable. Small gestures like clearing out a drawer and making some space in the wardrobe to hang clothes can make a big difference.
If you want to give them something luxurious, put together a goodie basket with towels, face washers, snacks, water bottles, magazines, a beautiful candle and a small hand cream. While you’re at it, you could think about putting together a bag of items for It’s in the bag, a Christmas campaign aimed at giving women experiencing hardship a little gift of luxury this Christmas.
6) Choose a decorating theme – Red and green is a classic look that always works, and chances are you’ve already got plenty of decorations that are suitable. If you’re looking for a change up, neutrals and gold can be simple and stylish. Check out these articles from Homelife, Lifestyle Home and Mums Grapevine for a little inspiration. Whatever you decide, planning ahead will allow you to keep an eye out for unique items that will suit your theme.
7) Check your Christmas decorations – Pull out your decorations and check you have everything you need. If you don’t have a fake tree, buying a tree online could save you some time. Oxfam sells beautiful, lush Christmas trees online for $89 and delivers them to your door in early December; you can order one here. Money raised goes towards people in the world who are living in poverty.
8) Decorate the house – Now for the fun part – put on some carols, deck the halls, and trim the tree. And don’t forget the gifts! Wrapping paper can be just as important as tinsel to bring your look together.
9) Plan and pre-prepare food – Prepare your shopping list and think about what you can buy online to beat the crowds. Some foods can be prepared ahead of time to make your job a little easier. Fruit cake basically lasts forever, and if you love decorating gingerbread with the grandkids, why not make the dough now and keep it in the freezer for later?
Stop putting off those big tasks you’ve meant to get around to, start now while there’s still time. If you need a little motivation, why not try one of these Christmas playlists on YouTube to get you in the mood.
Top hits 2015 – most popular modern Christmas songs
Article by Anna Rogan
Anna is a Melbourne-based writer who loves telling good stories, drinking strong coffee and travelling to offbeat destinations.
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