5 Ways I Prep for the Holiday Season

The holiday season is finally here! My absolute favorite time of the year. 🎄 It brings me so much joy to prepare for  this time of the year and transform my home into a space that’s extra warm and cozy. Over the years, I've fine-tuned the way I prep the house (and our schedules/tasks!) for the season, and today I’m sharing our process of how we like to stay organized! From deep cleaning, holiday hosting, and a few helpful gadgets from Ring, here’s how I'm making the most of this magical time of the year! 

A Clean Slate 

I like to start every season with a full reset. I use this as an opportunity to deep clean and put things in storage to make room for Christmas decor. The necessities always stay, but for the most part all of my decor is cleared to make way for holiday! I've been curating my holiday decor collection for seven years, and since I add to it each year, it’s essential to keep everything organized so I'm able to find it when the time comes to decorate! I organize everything in clear bins by category—ornaments, garland, wreaths—and when it’s time to decorate I bring the bins up from storage! This process keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and makes decorating fun!

Shared Holiday Gift List

One of the best things I've done ahead of time is create a shared holiday gift list between me and my husband. We like to copy the previous year’s list and make adjustments as needed. Making this shared gift list in time is great because it’s ready for us to utilize during Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals! 

This is also where our Ring Stick Up Cam is a game changer! Since we have many packages arriving this time of year, it’s so helpful to get real-time notifications in the Ring App, so we can keep an eye out for deliveries! It gives us peace to know that we can not only monitor our packages, but see them come in real-time!

Cozy Holiday Hosting

We host family and friends multiple times during the holiday season, so we always make sure to keep the living spaces extra cozy for guests! This year, since we hosted Friendsgiving, we doubled down on the coziness of our dining space. We prepped the space ahead of time so that we could focus on the meal prep the day of. Getting this done a few days in advance was such a big help! I cannot recommend enough having a decorating plan if you’re hosting over the holidays. 

If you host over the holidays, a Ring Doorbell is the perfect addition to your entry. Not only is it useful for the obvious reasons—guests arriving or receiving packages-- it's also such a nice addition because you can customize the chime with seasonal sounds,  and even enable Quick Replies from The Grinch, who will greet your guests with prerecorded responses if you can't get to the door quick enough! 

Our Festive Entry, Inside and Out

While we’re on the topic of entryways, I always prioritize decorating our front porch and foyer, as they are the first spaces any guest sees! On the outside, I love to add lush, fresh greenery on the doorstep (the smell is always the best!) along with a cozy wreath. On the inside, I make sure to add greenery and warmth with twinkle lights and candles. I also have an Indoor Ring Camera which I like to use to look back at all of the fun moments throughout the season with 24/7 Recording. A Ring Home Premium subscription is required and sold separately. 

Planning Seasonal Activities

To make the most out of the season, I like to check local activities and add them to our family calendar so we can plan ahead. For example, my husband and I recently went to a local tree lighting, and since we added it to our shared calendar, we were able to plan our schedule around it! Staying organized with dates helps us enjoy those special moments together without feeling overwhelmed with any of the hustle and bustle!

Tip: Take some time to research your community’s holiday events and add them to your calendar. They can be tentative dates for you! Then, if they work within your schedule, you know of the date ahead of time and can take part in the holiday magic! 

Prepping for the holidays takes a little work up front, but it's the best way to ensure you enjoy the season and spend more quality time with your loved ones! Staying organized and intentional really does make all of the difference!

Our Ring devices are essential to our holiday prep list and help make hosting stress free!

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Disclaimer: This post was written by an external contributor and paid for by Ring. Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Ring.