The holidays are here and, with that, comes TONS of at-home hosting opportunities. Chances are you perfected small space entertaining in your urban apartment or condo — and, chances are, you dreamed about how great it would be to host your family and friends in ahousefor a change. But then you made the move, and now you’re in suburbia with the great entertaining space you wanted…
But you need it ready —now.
Moving during the holidays — whether it’s a cold or warm weather holiday — comes with a host of benefits. Chief among them, families tend to have more flexibility in terms of the move itself — more vacation time, kids home from school and area relatives ready to lend a hand, for starters. But moves are, typically, a process even for the most organized and forward-thinking family. Whether it’s getting some quick repairs done, a few coats of paint or, simply, filling all of those new rooms with furniture, getting your home ready for a crowd usually takes some time. So what to do if you’ve got a whole crew en route and the house isn’t party-perfect (yet…)? Call on that small space know-how to throw a fantastic bash!
Focus on key spaces
If you can entertain in a 600-square foot apartment, you can entertain ANYWHERE. Take your small space savvy to your suburban home and focus on a few key rooms you want to use for the party — the living room, dining room and kitchen, for example. Ensure those spaces are in party-ready condition and don’t stress about the rest. And if they aren’t quite there yet, rest easy — once a room is filled with guests, no one (including you!) will notice some of the less than perfect spots.
Take the (short) tour
Again, guests don’t need to be EVERYWHERE. Sure you’re in a new house and people may ask for the “grand tour,” but they aren’t expecting a finished product. It’s entirely expected that you’d pass by an unfinished guest room or in-progress bathroom. But, if you aren’t comfortable taking some — or all — of your party through the not-quite-ready-yet spaces, chalk it up to “renovations” and assure them you’ll have them back for a housewarming soon.
Make it festive!
No time to get the decor just right? That’s another perk to a post-move holiday party — you can go the festive route instead! Whether it’s some fun garland, lights and snowmen decorations in December, some patriotic go-tos in July or a fun “Dad and Grad” theme in the summer, it’s easy enough to snag some fun, low cost pieces to fill in spaces — and you’ll get bonus points for being in the holiday spirit!
Get OUT
If your move happens in a warmer month, consider hosting an outside-only bash. While guests will still pop in for bathroom breaks or to grab something from the kitchen, there focus will be mainly on the outside which, for many new homebuyers, is “close enough” for entertaining a crowd.
Happy hosting!