How to get your home ready for Thanksgiving company

It feels like we were just enjoying the last of summer, and now Thanksgiving is already here! This weekend marks a long weekend, as Thanksgiving approaches, and if you’re still scrambling to get organized for holiday guests, here’s a few quick tips to get yourself and your home ready.

• Prepare for overnight guests: if you have guests coming in from out of town, ensure your home is ready for overnight guests. This means ensuring the bathrooms are cleaned and well stocked with extra towels, toilet paper, etc. Have a bedroom setup with bedding, and in most cases—keep the coffee stocked!
• Prepare for guests of all ages: be mindful of who you are expecting in your home over the weekend. If you will have elderly guests, make sure your driveway and walkway is clear and easily accessible, as well as clear railings on stairs. Similar considerations should be made for little ones visiting your home, baby-proof your home if necessary and keep hazardous and dangerous items out of reach for children.
• Clean your home: tidy your home, especially the rooms in which you’ll be entertaining. Make sure the kitchen is especially clutter-free, to prepare for all the food and people that will be coming in and out. If you run short on time, here’s a great guide from Porch on cleaning your home for guests in under 30 minutes.
• Tackle the menu: the food is always at the centre of every Thanksgiving get together, and if you don’t have some secret family recipes in the vault, Pinterest has tons of amazing inspiration for your menu.
• Get the table ready: get your home into the festive holiday spirit by adding some Thanksgiving touches. There are many ways, both simple and extravagant, to get your tablescape Thanksgiving ready. Canadian Living has some great ideas for getting your table holiday-ready.

If you’re not much of a chef, Daily Hive is sharing a list of six restaurants where you can get Thanksgiving dinner to go. We would love for you to share photos of your holiday home with us on Twitter, and we wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday weekend.