In just a few days, my house will be filled with 26 adults and 3 children (and 1 baby!) for Thanksgiving. While it may be totally nuts to take such a big hosting “gig” on with a newborn, I love this holiday and am excited to open our home to our favorite family and friends. Luckily (and I say this with lots of love in my heart, dear family), we do not have any out-of-towners. This means that no one is spending the night(s)… hence, the arduous task of laundry loads, changing out sheets, and a fridge stocked morning, noon, and night. However, with 29 people, we do need to make sure essential items like toilet paper, hand towels, and wine are easily accessible (because, uh, wine is essential during family get-togethers).
So in order to make sure my home is guest-ready, I’ve teamed up with Cottonelle to share a few tricks that help me ensure my house looks great amidst the influx but also stays organized!
1) Have Toilet Paper Handy
Let’s face it, lots o’ guests = lots o’ toilet paper! For our guest bathroom, I stack a few rolls of Cottonelle Megarolls in a decorative basket on top of the toilet. I also make sure to have a full hand soap and guest hand towels right on the sink. With people coming in and out of the bathroom, a lovely smelling candle helps too! For back up rolls, I have a basket stacked with rolls in our second bathroom (making it easy to direct people to the cabinet should we run out… but with the 4 in 1 feature, it will be hard to run out!)
We do a potluck on Thanksgiving (we provide the turkey), so when guests arrive, our kitchen can get cluttered with dishes quickly. Before guests arrive, I always make sure that our counter and stovetop is cleared as much as possible. I also like to have a drink station in a separate area so guests can help themselves to drinks and have a place to put the wine that they’ve so graciously brought.
As mentioned, we do the turkey, but everyone else brings a dish. To make sure our tables stay neat (and there’s no guessing of what goes where), I lay out empty platters ahead of time and label which dish goes where. When guests arrive, it makes transferring their dish super easy!
I can’t stand clutter! My number one pet peeve is when people come over and throw their bag on a couch or counter… and with 29 people, that would be a problem! When guests enter, I encourage them to put their belongings (jackets, purses, etc.) in either one of the bedrooms. Out of site, out of mind!
Hosting a large party? Do yourself a favor and tell your guests where to sit. It makes things so much easier once dinner is served—no one is awkwardly searching for a place to sit or “saving” seats. No one wants to have to think too hard when they come to a party, so simple place cards dictate where guests should plant themselves.
What are your top tips for hosting holiday get togethers and keeping your house organized amidst the chaos? Tell me here and be sure to follow @Cottonelle #OnAMegaRoll!
I am proud to partner with Cottonelle for the #OnAMegaRoll campaign. I am being sponsored by Cottonelle for this post and social media activities, but all opinions expressed are my own.
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