The holidays are a happy time of year, filled with food, family, fun, and lots of work!
Can you believe we are just one week away from Thanksgiving already? It seems like fall 2019 has just flown by! The holidays are a happy time of year, filled with food, family, fun, and lots of work! Ok, that last one doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but even though preparing for the holidays can be a lot of work we hope that this helpful guide will help you make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible!
Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
- Do you have smoke detectors on every floor and outside of every sleeping area?
- When was the last time you tested the alarms?
- Refer to your City and State’s laws for instructions on placement of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Extension Cords
- Extension cords are a TEMPORARY measure that should be used for no more than 30 days at a time.
- Do any of your cords have any sort of cracking or fraying anywhere?
- Ensure all plugs fit snugly.
- If a cord is warm to the touch, unplug it immediately.
Light Switches and Power Outlets
- All of your home’s GFCI outlets should be tested monthly
- Are any switches or outlets buzzing or discolored?
- Are they all functioning properly?
- Do plugs fit snugly into the outlets?
Test Your Lights
One annoying problem that happens every year is when you line up your holiday lights just to find out that they don’t work correctly anymore. Get a gadget known as a light tester and you can find out if your lights still work before you get them all hung up.
Use Light Hangers
The next tip is to use some light hangers. You won’t have to worry about dealing with poking yourself with the pointy end of nails. Use some clothespins to hang them up outside on the exterior of your custom home. Just be careful when you’re climbing up that ladder!
Hang Lights on Zip Ties
Our last tip also involves hanging lights. But this time, you’ll be hanging lights all over your home. You can use zip ties to attach lights to the banisters of staircases and on fence posts. That way, you won’t leave any scratches or gouges from nails, and once the holidays are over, all you have to do is cut the zip ties open.
Meal Planning
You spend weeks planning and preparing the perfect holiday meal, but what will you and your guests eat on all the other days of the visit? It is important to have a plan for the other meals, too. Plenty of people will prepare several meals and freeze them so they can just pull it out and put it in the oven or the crockpot, which minimizes the time spent in the kitchen so you can spend more time with loved ones.
Cleaning
Rest assured, you do plenty of cleaning to get ready for holiday guests. You naturally want to make sure your home looks its best. With that said, accidents happen. For those incidents, we suggest making a list of the most useful cleaning products for cleaning up a spill, or getting a stain out of someone’s blouse and making sure all of those products are on-hand and easily accessible.
The Guest Bedroom
You love your family and friends and you want whoever comes to stay with you to be comfortable. That starts with the guest bedroom. It can be difficult for a lot of people to get a good night’s sleep in a place that they’re not so familiar with, so make sure the guest room is as comfortable as possible. Soft sheets, squishy pillows, and a nice, warm blanket will feel nice on the cold nights. Stock the guest bathroom with extra toiletries, towels, and bath tissue. Clear out the closet so they have room for their things.
Don’t Be Afraid of Rules
If you’re hosting this holiday, your family and friends will be in your home. Don’t be afraid to remind them of that. If you have a “no shoes in the house” rule, make sure guests remove their shoes. No children in the kitchen while cooking is happening unless they are closely supervised by an adult. As long as your rules are reasonable, guests shouldn’t have any problem following them.
Holiday Spirits
Often during the holidays, people like to consume alcohol. Unfortunately, some people don’t know when to stop. Everyone has at least one story about that relative who had a little too much to drink at this or that family gathering. While having one or two adult beverages isn’t going to make any awkward situations, it’s not a great idea to go any further than that. Regardless of how well-stocked your liquor cabinet is every other day of the year, you may want to put most of it away except for a couple of bottles. Warm spiced cider (with a little rum, of course!) is great at holiday gatherings!
Embrace the Chaos and Be Thankful
There will be noise. There will probably be kids all over the place. Older relatives will make all sorts of unsolicited comments. Your sparkling clean home may look like it got hit by a tornado of tissue paper, ribbon, and gift wrap at the end of the day. These are all perfectly normal parts of another great holiday spent with those you love. As much as you may be frustrated about it, remind yourself to also be thankful for each and every moment you get to spend with your loved ones. Family and friends are some of our greatest gifts. Treasure them (even when they drive you crazy).
BUILD YOUR WATERFRONT DREAM HOME WITH SHORE-LINE CONSTRUCTION!
At Shore-Line Construction, we know that your home is a reflection of you. That’s why we strive to make each home we build as beautiful as the family who will live there. We work with each of our clients to design a home that fits their needs. The end result is a durable, energy-efficient custom home that the family will enjoy for generations to come. Shore-Line Construction has been serving our customers for over 25 years, and we look forward to the opportunity to help you!
If you’re interested in learning more about what Shore-Line Construction can do for you, check out our website or give us a call at 410-574-6623. Keep up with all of the latest news by following our blog and social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Houzz!
