7 smart ways to get your home holiday ready

Posted on: 28 Dec, 2021 By:

Preparing for the holidays entails more than just purchasing gifts and cooking extravagant feasts. 

Whether you're entertaining visitors or going on vacation, there are a few things you should do to prepare your home for the holidays. 

Here are seven tasks to add to your to-do list so you can fully enjoy the holiday season.

1. Declutter.

Whether it's decorations, endless rolls of wrapping paper, gift bags, the gifts themselves, cards and letters, crafts, or plates of holiday-themed cookies, the holidays can bring a lot of clutter into your life. 

You'll want to clean out any extraneous objects that have accumulated around your house in recent months before you even consider stringing up a set of lights. 

Conveniently, the end of the year is also a fantastic time to give to charity, so you'll probably be gathering clothing and other household items to donate anyhow. (Remember to obtain a tax receipt!)

Everyone should do some extra cleaning around the holidays—even if it's only to make room for all those new gifts—especially if you have visitors. 

Even if no relatives are staying overnight, your holiday party visitors will need a place to put their coats on, and you don't want all your extra stuff to fall on top of them the instant they open a closet.

 

2. Baby and pet-proof decorations.

Holiday decorations may harm children and dogs. Both are drawn to tiny ornaments that hang from the bottom branches of Christmas trees, as well as glistening tinsel and ribbons that can be choking risks. Cats may be enticed to climb your tree, and your dog's wagging tail might cause havoc as well.

Avoid tinsel and only put shatterproof decorations within reach of small hands and paws to keep your tree safe for pets and small children. 

Keep in mind that several classic holiday plants, such as holly (especially holly berries) and mistletoe, can be harmful, so keep these out of reach as well. When it comes to lighting seasonal candles, always keep an eye on the open flames.

3. Fireproof your tree.

You'll need to take a few safety precautions if your Christmas decorations involve a tree. Christmas trees are a major cause of house fires, and these fires are often deadlier than other types of house fires. 

Make sure your tree is kept as fresh and well-watered as possible to minimize this risk. 

Before putting it in water, cut an inch or two off the bottom when you bring it home. Make sure there's always enough water to cover the trunk's base. (You'll probably need to refill it on a daily basis.) 

To keep the tree from drying out, place it away from heat sources and out of direct sunshine. If necessary, use a room humidifier.

4. Mind your outlets.

Long strings of lights, inflatable displays, and other holiday decorations can be taxing on your home's electrical system. Experts recommend hiring an electrician to build an extra circuit to power your Christmas fantasy if you truly want to go all out. 

It's also an excellent opportunity to install a whole-house surge protector or have your current one tested.

 

5. Set timers.

If you're not careful, your extravagant holiday decorations might wreak havoc on your energy bill—or worse, and you can forget to switch on the lights at all, leaving no one to enjoy your hours of labor.

There are a few options for avoiding either problem. Photocell timers detect sunlight and turn on your lights as the sunsets. 

They frequently have various settings, allowing you to program your lights to turn on from dusk to dawn or merely for a few hours after it turns dark. 

Smart plugs with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, on the other hand, allow you to monitor your energy consumption and manage your lights from your phone or home voice assistant.

An old-fashioned mechanical outlet timer could also work if you want something basic and inexpensive. You simply want your nightly light to show to be as hands-off as feasible. You may forget to turn on the light, but your timer will never forget. 

Before you buy, make sure the timer you're obtaining is suitable for the application—for example, if you're planning to use it to light up the Santa on your roof, it must be built for outdoor use.

6. Clean out your fridge.

Whether you're staying at home or traveling over the holidays, it's a good idea to clean out your refrigerator. You don't want to come home to a fridge full of rotten milk and decay food if you're going to be away from home. 

Even if you're not traveling, refrigerator space can be limited around the holidays. 

It's a time of parties and overindulgence for many people, and you'll probably need some additional space for meal prep (turkeys and hams take up a lot of space), baking projects, and leftovers. Your guests may need to store dishes in your fridge before serving if you're hosting during the holidays.

 

7. Secure your house.

If you're going away for the holidays, make sure your home is safe and secure until you get back. That means hiring a neighbor to pick up your mail and water your plants, lowering the thermostat, and disconnecting superfluous equipment, among other things. 

You'll probably want to take extra security precautions, such as turning on pre-programmed or motion-sensor-based lights to deter thieves (those Christmas light timers will come in useful), and possibly purchasing a home security camera to keep an eye on things while you're gone. 

If there's a snowstorm, you'll also want to make sure someone is available to shovel your walkway. If you have a Christmas tree, be sure you have a way to keep it hydrated or recycle it before you depart.

Conclusion

These are a few things you should do to prepare your home for the holidays. When it comes to lighting seasonal candles, always keep an eye on the open flames. Christmas tree fires are a major cause of house fires. 

Make sure your tree is kept as fresh and well-watered as possible to minimize this risk. Experts recommend hiring an electrician to build an extra circuit to power your Christmas lights or inflatable displays.

Whether you're staying at home or traveling, it's a good idea to clean out your refrigerator. Make sure your home is safe and secure until you get back. If you have a Christmas tree, be sure to keep it hydrated or recycle it before you depart.