🎄The 12 Days of Christmas Prep: How to Host Holiday Guests Without Recreating the Airport Scene from Home Alone
- Rob Skuba
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Let’s be honest.
The holidays look one way in the movies…
…and another way in your actual living room.
On screen it’s The Holiday: twinkling lights, soft snow, everybody glowing. At home it’s more like Christmas Vacation: missing extension cords, loud relatives, and at least one person asking, “What’s the Wi-Fi password again?” while you’re elbow-deep in a turkey.
This guide is filled with practical tips and tricks you can actually use over the next 12 days, small, thoughtful moves that make hosting feel easier. It’s not for “perfect” homes. It’s for real ones. The goal isn’t to impress anyone.
The goal is simple:
Less stress. More comfort. A home that actually feels good to be in. If you find yourself saying “Oh my God, that’s me” at least once…
good. That means we’re in the right house.
🎁 Day 1: The “This Is Our House” Talk (Date Night Edition)
Before guests, before lists, before chaos, take one evening with your person. Not a big production, no matching pajamas.
Just:
One playlist
One drink (tea, wine, cocoa, your call)
One short conversation:
What do we want this holiday to feel like?
What absolutely cannot happen again this year?
Think of it as your “Home Alone parents before the plane” moment — except this time, you actually plan.
Write down:
3 things you want more of (quiet mornings, movie night, sit-down breakfasts)
3 things you want less of (late-night kitchen cleanup alone, shouting over the TV, people wandering into your bedroom)
This isn’t about rules.
It’s about alignment.
When the two of you agree on the tone first,
everything else, guests, schedules, chaos, falls into place.
That’s the heart of Date Night in Stereo: Using music and a few honest questions to set the emotional rhythm of your home.
Home is the escape.
🎁 Day 2: Build the Holiday Movie & Music List (Before the Debates)
You know how it goes.
Someone wants Elf, someone else insists it isn’t Christmas without It’s a Wonderful Life.
At least one person will die on the hill that Die Hard is or isn’t a Christmas movie. Instead of arguing about it on the couch with five remotes in hand:
Make a shared movie list now.
Text your usual guests:
“We’re building our holiday movie lineup. What’s your must-watch this year?”
Do the same for music:
“What’s one song you want to hear while we’re cooking / opening gifts this year?”
Now you’re not guessing.
You’re curating.
Make It Tangible (This Is the Secret)
When guests arrive, don’t just scroll a streaming app. Print the movie list and leave a pen nearby for checkmarks or write movie titles on slips of paper and drop them in a bowl or hat.
Let people vote early in the day
The most-voted picks become the main events.
The others become late-night or background favorites.
Same idea for music:
A short printed playlist
A shared note on the counter
One line that says: “Add anything that feels like Christmas to you.”
Bonus:
When someone hears their song play or sees their movie make the cut, they feel at home before they even hang their coat.
That’s not planning.
That’s belonging.
🎁 Day 3: Guest Room Reality Check
If your guest room is currently:
A seasonal closet
A laundry staging area
The place where Amazon boxes pile up because no one’s had time to deal with them
…today is your day.
You don’t need a Pinterest makeover.
You need comfort basics — the things you wish someone would give you:
Fresh sheets (non-negotiable)
An extra blanket
A spare phone charger
The Wi-Fi password on a simple card or sticky note
A bottle of water
A small snack (granola bar, cookies, something easy)
A lamp that can be turned on from the bed
Now for the optional, family-specific upgrade:
A small cooler in the guest room for Uncle Eddie’s Meister Brau — and if Aunt Bethany’s staying over, make sure you know where the fire extinguisher is.
It’s not about impressing anyone, it’s about making people comfortable.
Want this all in one place?
If reading this made you think, “Okay, I need a list,” we made one. A simple, printable checklist you can screenshot, print, or keep on your phone, no perfection required.
🎁 Day 4: The “What Do You Actually Need?” Text
You know what’s worse than last-minute holiday stress? Last-minute holiday stress at 9pm because a guest forgot:
Medication
Contact solution
Their favorite coffee creamer, decaf anyone?
The only brand of tea they drink
Earplugs (for snorers… on either side)
Today’s job is one simple text:
“We’re excited to have you. Is there anything specific you need us to have on hand?
(Creamer, decaf, non-dairy milk, snacks, pillows, anything.)”
You’re not offering to cater to every whim. You’re sending the message: “We thought about you before you got here.”
That’s the part people remember.
🎁 Day 5: The Chore List (But Make It Honest)
Somewhere along the way, the holidays sold us the idea that the house magically runs itself.
Reality?
It’s closer to the kitchen scene in Home Alone:
Someone is always cleaning
Someone is always cooking
Someone is always opening the fridge “just to look”
Here’s your move:
Grab a notepad.
Make a quick “Holiday House Jobs” list:
Dish duty
Trash & recycling
Floor sweep
Pot/stove cleanup
Table reset
Ice commander
Who is on drinks
Who is chopping onions
Now here’s the important part:
Turn it into a quick, funny conversation when people arrive:
“We’re running this like a team this year. Nobody does everything, everybody does something. Wanna pick your job before I assign you the worst one?”
It’s light.
It’s playful.
But it quietly protects you from being the unpaid staff of your own holiday.
🎁 Day 6: Set the House Rules (Lovingly)
This is your Clark Griswold boundary day.
Everyone has their version of:
“We go to bed early.”
“We don’t slam doors after midnight.”
“Please don’t wake the entire house by watching TikToks on full volume in the kitchen at 1am.”
We usually dont speak in the morning til after coffee around 9am
Say it early. Say it kindly.
A simple way in:
“Quick house notes before we get rolling…
We usually wind down around __.
Coffee starts around __.
If you’re up later or earlier, you’re totally welcome, just keep the noise low so we don’t wake the whole house.”
You’re not being controlling. You’re protecting everyone’s sleep and sanity, including theirs.
🎁 Day 7: Create “Zones” So Everyone Can Breathe
If every person, conversation, and activity has to happen in the same room, congratulations, you’ve accidentally recreated the airport scene from Home Alone in your living room. Instead, give your home a simple game plan by time of day.
During the Day
Kids: Devices, games, and movies in bedrooms or a playroom.
Adults: Sports or background TV in the living room or family room.
Work / Calls: A quiet bedroom or office where someone can close a door.
Late Afternoon
Sports / Game Zone: Football, basketball, or background games on one TV.
Kitchen Table Zone: Puzzles, cards, board games, snacks, conversation.
Evening
Movie Zone: One main TV for the featured movie everyone agrees on.
Kitchen Table Zone: Continues for cards and conversation.
Quiet Zone: A calm space for anyone who needs a break, a call, or an early night.
You don’t need a huge house to do this. you just need permission.
“Hey, if you need a quiet spot, this room is the recharge room. Games are here. Movies are there. Spread out. Make yourselves at home.”
People feel less trapped.
You feel less like a referee.
🎁 Day 8: Kids Home From College (Love + Limits)
They’re back.
With laundry.
With new opinions you're probably paying for.
With a sleep schedule that doesn’t believe in “morning.”
Today isn’t about rules.
It’s about balancing “we missed you” with “we still live here.”
Try three things:
A welcome moment
Their favorite meal
Their favorite treat
Or just: “We’re really glad you’re here. The house is better when you’re in it.”
A gentle expectations check-in
“We know your schedule is different now. All we ask is:
Quiet after __
Give us a heads up if people are coming over
Don’t let the Wi-Fi explode while we’re streaming.
You’re not parenting a child.
You’re collaborating with an almost-adult :)
It makes the whole house exhale.
🎁 Day 9: The BYOB (& Bag of Chips) Reality
There’s at least one person in every family who asks:
“What can I bring?”
…and then shows up with:
A bag of chips,
A half-melted dessert,
Or something nobody actually eats.
Let’s make it easier for everyone.
When they ask “What can I bring?” try:
“Honestly, your favorite snack and your favorite drink.”
“If there’s a dessert you love, bring that. We’ll handle the rest.”
“If you want a real job, grab ice and napkins. You’ll be the hero.”
It removes the stress of guessing, stops the fifth tray of brownies from appearing, and lets people contribute in a way that feels real, not performative.
Think less Pinterest spread, more “we’re glad you’re here.”
🎁 Day 10: The Tech Sanity Check (Without Buying Anything)
This is not “buy a new system before Christmas” day. This is “make what you have work as smoothly as possible” day.
Quick wins:
Make sure everyone in the house knows:
Where the remote actually lives
How to turn the TV on and off
Which input is which
Test your streaming apps before guests arrive
If your Wi-Fi barely survived Thanksgiving, move the router off the floor or out of the closet and back into the open. You’re not trying to build a cinema by Thursday. You’re just trying to avoid the “Why is nothing working?” chorus while a pot boils over.
And if you discover tech is a big source of stress?
Cool. Write it down. That becomes a January project, not a December meltdown.
🎁 Day 11: The “Do-Nothing Together” Moment
Look at any good holiday movie, there’s always one quiet scene:
The living room in The Holiday
The snow scene in Home Alone
The final moments of It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s rarely the big party people remember most.
It’s the small, still moment in between.
Today, intentionally create one:
A walk around the block with whoever’s awake
Cocoa or wine with just the core people at the end of the night
A single song you all listen to without phones
You don’t need a speech.
You just need to pause long enough to actually feel your own home. That’s the part that sticks in your memory after the wrapping paper is gone.
🎁 Day 12: Permission to Not Be Perfect
The last “prep” isn’t about your house.
It’s about your expectations.
Something will go sideways:
A dish will burn
Someone will be late
Someone will say the wrong thing
A kid will melt down
The dog will eat something it shouldn’t
You are not filming a remake of The Holiday. You are living your own, very real version of it.
So here’s your Day 12 mantra:
“If the people here feel seen, fed, and welcome, the rest is extra.”
Let the house be a little messy.
Let the schedule breathe.
Let yourself off the hook.
The whole point of all this was never perfection.
It was home.
If this guide feels like we’ve been hiding in your hallway all these years, it’s because we’ve seen the same thing over and over:
A home is only as good as it feels to live in.
Sometimes that means better Wi-Fi, better sound, better lighting, better control.
Sometimes it just means better planning and a softer approach.
National Smart Home exists for the moments after the holidays too:
When you realize movie night deserves a better screen
When your Wi-Fi finally taps out
When you want lights that match how your home actually feels at 6pm in January
But for now?
If this helped you feel a little more prepared and a little less alone in the chaos, that’s enough.
You’re not behind.
You’re not failing.
You’re just human, hosting other humans.
And that’s exactly who this was for.
— Rob
About the Author
Rob Skuba has spent over 25 years helping people make their homes feel easier to live in, especially when life gets busy. As a 6yr U.S. Army veteran and founder of National Smart Home, he believes technology should quietly support comfort, connection, and everyday moments, not complicate them.
Rob is also behind several homeowner-focused initiatives designed to help people reconnect with their homes and with each other, including Smart Home Day, National Headphone Day, and Date Night in Stereo, moments on the calendar that encourage slowing down, listening more closely, and enjoying home in a more intentional way.
He writes for homeowners who want their homes to feel welcoming, calm, and ready, whether it’s for a holiday, a family visit, or a normal Tuesday night. His work focuses on small, thoughtful changes that make a big difference, because the best homes aren’t perfect...
They’re lived in.