During the holiday season, we often have guests come to town. Who doesn’t want to spend Christmas walking around New York City and enjoying the best food and entertainment around? This year is no different. My mom is heading to town on Christmas Day, so we made a Costco run to pick up some of the essentials.
I’m excited to team up with P&G to share with you my tips for being a great hostess to out of town guests – even when you have a small apartment.
1. Have a Breakfast Plan
Having a nice warm breakfast is one of the most welcoming things you can do for a guest. We have quite a few favorite egg bake recipes that can be prepped the night before and thrown in the oven when you wake up for ease. See recipe for an egg bake that is super easy to prepare at the end of this post. Since we are looking at New York City out the window, we also like to have a morning that features the famous New York bagels.
2. Stock Up on Beverages
No guest should ever go thirsty, but you can take it to the next level by stocking your fridge and coffee selections with their favorites.
For example, my grandma only drinks decaf, so I always make sure we have some decaf in the cabinet. With my mom coming for the weekend, I’m going to make sure I have the fixings for some good mimosas.
At a minimum, make sure you have coffee, water and something local to share. We love offering guests a local beer or wine when they arrive. Craft beers are popping up all over the place and it shouldn’t be hard to find something to share with your guests.
3. Get Your Bathroom Prepped & Ready
We have one bathroom in our apartment, so it’s important to make sure it is as clean and welcoming as a hotel bathroom. We always do a big deep clean when people are coming to town and make sure that there are extras of anything people might forget. We always try and have extra P&G household products on hand for visitors. You don’t want to get caught without them.
Costco is the best place to stock up on P&G cleaning supplies and household products. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and Swiffer Dusters are the best way to quickly clean up and make everything look brand new. The Magic Erasers are great for cleaning walls and hard surfaces including soap scum. We always keep these in the bathroom and kitchen. They have been great on our white trim and bathroom surfaces.
You never want anyone having to search for extra toilet paper or a nice air freshener. We stocked up on Charmin Bath Tissues, which is America’s softest bath tissue, and Febreze Air Effects, to help eliminate any odors. The holiday pack of Febreze Air Effects is an absolute delight. I usually keep out two different ones to change things up a little bit.
I must say, Costco was fascinating. On top of all of the things you spoke about above, they even sell Bolle ski gear at unbeatable prices! Perfect for people shopping for snow enthusiasts out there. Mind-blowing.
Always tough having guests but having a plan together like you do makes life easier.
Merry Christmas!
It IS so nice to be welcomed as a guest with a hotel-like bathroom. That makes staying away from home so much more relaxing. #client
Great tips! Cleaning supplies are always a must, so it's super helpful to be able to buy them in bulk!
The bathroom guest book makes me laugh.
Always have to do a deep clean. Magic erasers are a must!
Ha! Not us. We are the guests this holiday staying over a relatives place. No prep here – just drinking and eating!