With only a few days left to get ready, you won’t be alone if you still have much to do before the big day. To help you stay calm and organised, making a checklist is a great way to make sure all those little jobs get done in time. Once you’re all done you can sit back, put your feet up and relax wit a festive drink under your twinkling decorations. Here we have put together a list of things that you don’t want to forget!
Last-minute Christmas check-list
1. Have a tidy up
There is nothing quite like sitting down with a sparkling festive drink in a sparkling clean house, knowing it’s all done. Now is the time to tackle the housework and give your house a thorough clean.
Clear away as many things that you can, it’s amazing how quickly a room can get filled when you have even a few guests around – all those gifts and that wrapping paper, not to mention cups, glasses and nibbles dishes! Clear your rustic coffee table, put the remotes away in your industrial tv stand and move a wooden side table so it is more useable for your guests to put their drinks on. Make full use of an industrial sideboard if you have one in your living room – put as much away as you can in there and also put some coasters on the top so this can also be used as a surface by any visitors. The hallway is another place that soon gets cluttered, who wants to be tripping over shoes? Clear some room for your guest’s shoes in the shoe storage bench and make sure you have thought of where to put their bulky winter coats.
2. Prepare the guest room for overnight visitors
Be ready for planned and unplanned overnight guests by tidying and cleaning the spare room. Have some fresh bedding on the bed and put a couple of towels out for guests to use; you can even make some space in a wooden chest of drawers for their overnight belongings. It will make your them feel more comfortable if they do end up staying the night, as they’ll not feel that they have put you out in any way.
3. Think about seating
A wooden dining table with bench is a great investment for your dining room and even better if it’s a wooden extendable dining table. Check around to see if you have enough seating available – not just for the dining room but in the living room too. Do you have an office desk chair that can be bought down for Christmas dinner? A wooden blanket box will also make a great temporary seat for the living room or dining room.
4. Do you have everything for the table?
Get out and wash any serving dishes you plan on using, whether for the Christmas dinner or for nibbles. Put them on a shelf in your wooden sideboard so you know exactly where everything is. This is also a good time to write a timeline for getting Christmas dinner cooked, check you have everything in that you need, you can also prep and pop things in the freezer so you have more time to spend with your nearest and dearest. Just remember to get them out to defrost in time! If you don’t plan on using the dining room in the next few days – then go ahead and set the table, not only is this another job off the list but it will also look lovely every time you walk past the room!
5. Last-minute household essentials
The little things make all the difference – avoid last-minute stressing and dashes to the shops! Check now that you have everything you need. Some of the most forgotten items are – batteries, milk, bread, wrapping paper, sellotape and tinfoil!
6. Treats to offer any unexpected guests
Do you have enough drinks and snacks to offer to any unexpected or last-minute guests? Keep some extra mince pies, sweets, nibbles and soft drinks in the back of the cupboard, just in case……if they don’t get used then you can eat them all yourself!!