12 November . 2024
Avoiding Holiday Havoc
Hosting friends and family during the holidays is a beautiful and rewarding opportunity to bring people together. Whether you’re preparing for a lively evening of laughter or welcoming loved ones for an extended stay, these moments offer connection, comfort, and joy. The thought of bringing people into your beautiful new home in Wendell Falls is an exciting prospect, but, let’s face it, it can also come with its fair share of stress. Luckily, with the right mindset and a few good tips, hosting doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Here are our top four tips for hosting a stress free Thanksgiving.
1) Have a game plan
Grab your partner, cohost, or list-loving friend and start creating a plan. It is important to know what the gathering is going to look like. Who is coming? How long will they be here? What’s on the menu? How much time can I allocate to each task? And—most importantly—what tasks need to be completed in the days leading up to your gathering? Taking a few minutes to plan will give you a clearer picture of your event and help you identify what you need to tackle first. Make an evening of the task by jotting out this list while grabbing a drink at Falls Local or The Farmhouse!
2) Prepare as much as you can in advance
Trying to juggle cooking, hosting, decorating and spending time with loved ones is a lot to pack into a single day. It can easily become overwhelming and steal enjoyment from the moment. To help prevent this overwhelm, prepare in advance—whether it’s days or just hours before your event, checking a few things off your list in advance will save time and energy in the long run. Tackle smaller tasks like cleaning, decorating your space, or setting the table the day before. If you’re baking desserts, prepare them ahead of time to avoid the rush, and preserve valuable oven space, on the big day. The more you can get done beforehand, the more relaxed you’ll be when it’s time to entertain.
3) Allocate
Just because you’re the one hosting doesn’t mean you have to do all the work yourself! Guests are often willing and excited to offer a helping hand—and asking them to contribute can make the event feel more collaborative. Whether it's bringing drinks, dessert, or a batch latte from Sonder Coffee to keep everyone caffeinated, delegating small tasks will take the pressure off you and give your guests a sense of involvement. Plus, they’ll appreciate being able to pitch in!
4) Enjoy it
Be intentional about enjoyment. The holidays, whether they are spent with friends or family, are moments that allow us to spend time enjoying the relationships we value most. Because of this,
there is no reason to stress about perfection. Embrace the imperfections, as they are often what make the moments memorable. No one will remember if the turkey didn’t turn out perfectly or if things ran a little behind schedule. What matters is the time spent together, so let go of unrealistic expectations and focus on enjoying the moment with your loved ones.
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