During the holiday season (roughly now through January 1st), it’s not unusual to have friends drop by to bring a gift or to offer the greetings of the season.  It’s good to be prepared for them.

• Make sure the guest bathroom is stocked and clean. Here’s the time to use the Christmas hand towels and guest soaps.
• Make sure there’s room in the coat closet (or on a bed) for coats, scarves, mittens, etc.
• Make sure that your doorstep is cleared on leaves and there’s a place for guests to wipe their feet. that makes it easier to keep the rest of the house clean.

Also, get in the habit of a daily tidy. This isn’t a major cleaning or even a Friday tidy. It’s just a way to make sure that you can invite guests in and not expect them to stand on the doorstep while they talk. It doesn’t need to take a lot of time — think 10-15 minutes before you leave for work or immediately on returning home. Just do the basics:

• Choose one room where you will greet guests — living room family room kitchen, etc.
• Each day, walk through the room and put away anything that doesn’t belong.
• Remove the newspapers you’ve finished reading, snack plates, glasses, etc.
• Replace any furniture or accessories (e.g., pillows, throws) where they belong.
• Make sure the decorations are in order. If you have candles, make sure they don’t need to be refreshed.
• At least once a week, run a quick dust cloth and mop or vacuum.

Since you are doing this daily, there should never be much to do, so it will go quickly!