How to Prepare for Holiday Guests: 20 Tips for Overnight Hosting

Due to our world’s circumstances over the last few years, many of us haven’t hosted family and friends during the holidays since 2019. If you’ve found yourself hosting Christmas guests this year and feel a bit stressed and out of practice, I’m here to help! Today I’m going to share how to prepare for holiday guests. I have discussed the importance of gracious hosting etiquette in the past. I believe this is especially important during the holiday season. I’ll discuss my tips for hosting overnight guests and ways to make them feel comfortable and at home. Preparing for Christmas guests doesn’t have to be stressful. Follow these simple tips for a successful and fun experience!

Preparing your Home for Holiday Guests

As Kate Spade said, “Making your guests feel at ease is the essence of etiquette”. I think house guest hosting etiquette is especially important during the holiday season. Oftentimes, we can get caught up in the stress of a busy holiday schedule and checking gifts off of our list. It’s easy to lose track of the meaning of the season. I never want my guests to feel anything other than at ease and relaxed when visiting our home. For this reason, I’ve noted different ways on how to prepare for holiday guests over the years. I’m excited to share these tips for hosting overnight Christmas visitors with you today! I’m going to break it down on how to prepare room by room, along with sharing a few extra holiday hosting tips.

Prepare the Guest Room

Your holiday guests will be spending a good amount of time in your guest room, even if it’s just for sleeping. It’s important to create a calm, relaxing space for them to feel at home. Here are some tips for preparing a guest room for holiday visitors.

1. Provide the WiFi password. You can text this to your guests before they arrive, but it’s also a good idea to have it written somewhere in the room. You could simply write it on a notepad on the nightstand or even place it in a small picture frame.
2. Prepare the nightstand for your guests. I like to place snacks, chocolate, bottles of water and fresh flowers (assuming the visitors aren’t allergic) on the nightstand. It’s also nice to have a basket on or near the nightstand with a bible, magazines and some pens and paper.
3. Have nightlights in the guest room, hallways and bathrooms. Nightlights are a given if you’re hosting children, but I think they’re also a great idea for adult holiday guests. No one wants to bump their head or fall down in the middle of the night!
4. Provide a phone charger for Christmas visitors. I love this wireless phone charger because it’s high-speed and has a chic style.
5. Prepare the guest bed with fresh, soft sheets. I don’t typically use dryer sheets, but I do like to use them when preparing bedding for holiday guests because of the added softness. Be sure to check and see if any of your visitors are allergic to down comforters or pillows beforehand.
6. If possible, have a TV in your guest room. Holiday visitors are often exhausted from traveling and events. Even if the TV doesn’t get used, it’s nice to have it available if your guests need some time to relax and recuperate. 

Prepare the Bathroom

Taking the time to prepare the guest bathroom with necessary products is a very thoughtful gesture. If your holiday guests are traveling via airplane, they will be limited on how many items they can pack. It’s nice to think about this ahead of time and have these bathroom products ready for your holiday visitors upon arrival. I’ve previously written an entire post about preparing your guest bathroom medicine cabinet because I think it’s so important. Here are some of my favorite tips from that post.

1. Stock up your guest bathroom with soft, plush towels. Weezie bath towels are my absolute favorite and they also have a makeup towel that is perfect for holiday guests.
2. If you’re wanting to provide ultimate comfort, you could have slippers available for your visitors. I always think they are so nice to step into after a shower. These slippers are my absolute favorite, but would be a bit of a splurge for guests. A more affordable option would be to purchase this 6 pack of spa slippers.
3. Provide bathroom products for Christmas guests to treat themselves! Some of my favorite bath products to spoil visitors with include this eye mask, Pixi Rose skincare, Ahava hand cream, and this rose hydrating mist.
4. Don’t forget the bathroom essentials. Holiday guests will need ample toilet paper, hand soap, tampons, toothpaste and a spare toothbrush. They will also probably need (or appreciate) lotion, face wash, a blow dryer, hair products, nail care items, basic medications and shower essentials. Don’t forget baby bath products if your holiday visitors have small children.
5. Set the ambiance in the guest bathroom. I like to set out a favorite candle and matches for holiday guests. I also think it’s nice to have a live plant to bring calming energy to the room.

Prepare the Kitchen

Making your holiday guests feel at home in your kitchen is a must. When hosting friends and family overnight I always want them to feel comfortable helping themselves to food and drink as needed. Nobody wants to spend their days hungry. And if there are hungry children involved, it’s not fun for anyone! Here are some of my favorite tips on how to prepare your kitchen for holiday guests.

1. Check with your visitors ahead of time to see if there are any food allergies or preferences. Ask if there are specific foods they would like, especially for snacks and meals you plan on eating at the house. Oftentimes holiday guests might feel that it’s a burden to make special requests. Assure them that you don’t mind and even more, that you want to provide these items for them.
2. You will most likely be very busy preparing for your holiday guests. Therefore, save time by scheduling a grocery pickup or delivery the day before their arrival. You will be so glad you did.
3. When it comes to hosting during the holidays, I recommend skipping paper products and using your “fancy” dinnerware. If there is ever an occasion to get your beloved dining items out, holiday entertaining is it (not that you need a special occasion!)
4. Prepare or purchase food and snacks ahead of time and have them easily available for your holiday guests. Place plenty of snacks on the counter for visitors to easily grab at all times.
5. Additionally, don’t forget to stock the kitchen with fun drinks for everyone. For example, you could have a cocktail or wine option for the adults and Shirley Temple drinks for the kids!

Additional Tips for Hosting Holiday Guests

1. Set the holiday ambiance and mood in your home. Your guests will appreciate holiday touches including cozy blankets, board games, twinkling lights, Christmas decor, holiday music and yummy scents. Small touches like this can make any house feel a little more like “home”.
2. If your budget allows, provide small holiday gifts to your guests. It doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive. Many of the ideas I’ve previously shared as holiday hostess gifts would also make great gifts for overnight guests. If nothing else, I’d recommend picking up small gifts for children from the Target dollar bin.
3. If possible, hire a cleaning service before your holiday visitors arrive. This is a great way to take added stress off of your plate.
4. Provide all necessary information for guests to come and go as they please, including Wifi passwords, garage codes, keys and thermostat instructions. If you will be sleeping when your visitors arrive, be sure they have this information beforehand and also leave on a few lights for them to see.

Welcoming Holiday Guests Into Your Home

I hope you find these 20 tips on how to prepare for holiday guests to be helpful. If you’re looking for additional information, be sure to check out my list of gracious hostessing tips. I’d love to hear about which of these overnight guest pieces of advice you’ve found to be most helpful. Do you have any additional tips to share? If so, please leave them in the comments below so I can learn from them for the next time I host holiday visitors! And if you’re staying with a friend or family member this holiday season, be sure to also check out my holiday hostess gift ideas and thoughtful hostess gifts to bring along! Happy holidays!