5 Hacks To Beat Holiday Disasters

Having company over for the holidays means extra people (sometimes a lot) in your house.  This means tenfold the mess in the kitchen and bathroom.  Extra food to buy and more dishes to wash, counter tops to clean, food to cook, etc.  If you plan ahead and are prepared you might be able to limit the holiday disasters in your household to smaller messes that are easier to manage.  For me, the key is to make a list, plan for extra, assume the worst (food burnt, kids spilling drinks etc) and have everything to counter all of these messes.

First, get a head count.  Are your guests saying the night, a weekend, or just coming for a meal?  Make sure you have enough toiletries, especially toilet paper.  A 5 or 10 pack of cheap toothbrushes is good if people are staying over, in case they forget their own at home.  Get your house clean before everyone arrives.  All the dishes done.  Dishwasher empty.  Make sure you have enough plates for everyone there.  I try to avoid paper plates (bad for the environment) but will buy them if there is a large crowd coming.

Second, plan your meals.  Make sure you have food for everyone, and extra.  Make sure you have non-meat dishes for any vegetarian or vegans.  Check if anyone has allergies or food sensitivities (gluten-free, nut-free, etc).  If you have a large group have extra food in case a family brings an extra guest (ie your brother’s daughter brought her boyfriend).  Having leftovers is better than not enough food.  If you are worried about the cost of all the food make it a potluck but have enough food to balance everything in case someone doesn’t come.  Don’t let people show up with random dishes, have them RSVP with what they are bringing or suggest what you’d like them to bring.  Best bet if you prepare the meat or main dish and have beverages covered and ask guests to bring sides or desserts.

Kids might need extra snacks between meals since they have faster metabolisms.

Third, wash dishes as they happen.  If I am cooking than I clean up as I go and I scrub pans right after they have cooled off.  That way food is easier to clean.  If you accidentally burnt food in the pan you might need some elbow grease.  I’ve found pans from sauteed foods are harder to clean.  I like S.O.S. Steel Wool Pads for hard-to-clean pots and pans.  They can even be used to scrub the sink, glassware, utensils, coffee stains in mugs and even the bathtub.  I love how well they cut through grease and help remove baked-on foods without having to tire myself out scrubbing the pans and without having to soak them.

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Fourth, if you have guests staying make sure you have enough linens.  Towels especially.  Get your laundry all done before they arrive.  Make sure everyone has a pillow, sheets and blankets.  Figure where they are sleeping too.  Air mattresses?  Spare room? Nearby hotel?

Fifth, make sure you have adequate seating for meals.  It is good to get an extra table and chairs.  If you have a lot of guests you can do an adult and children’s table. This is most important for meals but important for non-meal time too.  Where will everyone hang out?  Couches? Will the weather be nice enough for outside seating on the patio?

Don’t forget entertainment.  Board games everyone can do together plus ones the kids can do while the adults are cooking.  Even kids and adult areas, if adults want their time to catch up without the kids around.  Pay attention to ages for kids.  Younger ones will have shorter attention spans.

All in all… have fun! The more you plan ahead, the less you stress when everyone is over.

What are you ideas for having company over for the holidays and beating the holiday disasters?