The following is a guest post by Laura McHolm, Co-Founder of NorthStar Moving.

The holidays are here! It’s the time of year your home becomes the stage for festive gatherings, meaningful memories and even unexpected guests. Whether you’re welcoming family from out of town, hosting dinner parties or simply seeking calm amidst the seasonal swirl, your space and how it functions matter.

Here are proven tips to maximize your space and organize your home for a smooth holiday entertaining season.

Maximize Space

Tip 1: Give every room a holiday purpose

When planning a move, we ask our clients to map out their new home’s floor plan before moving day. That way, every room has a clear purpose and flow. The same principle works beautifully for the holidays.

Envision how each room will function this season. Will your living room host a cocktail hour? Will your dining room become a buffet and games central? Will your home office shift into a temporary guest room or den?

Once you have your holiday floor plan, choose one main room each weekend leading up to your gatherings for transformation. For each room:

• Decide its specific holiday purpose
• Reposition furniture to support that purpose
• Remove unnecessary furniture, small items and clutter, and relocate those pieces to storage or donate them
• Decide which decorations, if any, belong in each space

Over two or three weekends you will have the major living areas repurposed and ready. This prevents last minute chaos so that final days are for small touches and simple maintenance, not a full scale overhaul. You are proactively making room, literally and figuratively, for what is coming!

Tip 2: Use temporary storage for lasting stress relief

A common scenario: oversized chairs, extra side tables, lamps that need repair, stacks of paperwork and out of season decor are still taking up valuable real estate in your home. Move spare furniture into storage for only a few weeks to transform a room. You can do the same on a smaller scale with:

• An under used closet
• A section of your garage
• A small short term storage unit

Clear the path so guests walk in and immediately see seating, surfaces and flow, not obstacles. Pack away bulky sofas, extra end tables, decorative pillows, boxes, unused pet beds and kid clutter. Can this piece live somewhere else for a few weeks to free up space?

The rule is simple. If it does not serve entertaining or holiday relaxation, it goes out. This creates space for seasonal additions such as buffet tables and folding guest chairs without making rooms feel cramped.

If you are short on helping hands or have very heavy pieces, consider hiring professional movers to rearrange and store items for a month and then bring them back. It is a cost effective hospitality upgrade that makes entertaining much easier.

Tip 3: Choose decor that is easy to store

Select decor that looks festive but does not demand a lot of storage space later. Think compact, reusable and multi use.

Simple decor ideas:

• Fill a glass vase most of the way with cranberries, add water and fresh flowers for a quick, elegant centerpiece
• Pile red and green apples in a large bowl for a natural display and easy healthy snacks
• Use reusable ribbons on door knobs and stair rails
• Repurpose broken ornaments by placing them in a glass container with a candle

Beautiful decor does not need to arrive in oversized boxes or create new clutter to store.

After the holidays, wrap string lights around empty wrapping paper tubes to keep them tangle free. Pack and label boxes clearly by room and use simple names such as “Living Room Accents,” “Outside Wreaths” and “Dining Table Settings.” Next year, decorating will become a short and simple task instead of a big production.

Organize Your Home for Easy Entertaining

Tip 4: Audit your dinnerware and linens early

Before any event, do a quick inventory of your dishes and linens. Check:

• How many matching plates, glasses and sets of flatware you have
• Whether serving platters are clean and ready
• If napkins, tablecloths and runners are in good condition
• Whether you have enough chairs for the headcount

Run holiday dishes through the dishwasher. Set aside any faded linens to replace. Order what you need now instead of discovering a shortage the day before your gathering.

Create a dedicated holiday service cabinet or closet where you store serveware, linens, candles and extras together. Then make a simple list of what items you have in the holiday service cabinet or closet, and email it to yourself. File the email in a folder called “Holiday 2025.” Refer to the list so that this year and next year you will know exactly what you have ready to go.

Tip 5: Clear surfaces to calm your space

Cluttered counters and tables raise stress levels the moment guests arrive. Clear surfaces make a home feel welcoming and under control.

Use magazine files, baskets or a rolling utility cart to gather work papers, kids artwork and random items from kitchen countertops and tables. Then park the cart in a hallway, closet or garage until after the holidays.

Chances are many of those piles that feel temporary have been sitting for months. This is your moment to recycle old magazines and shred outdated papers. Once you have clear countertops and tables, treat them as blank canvases for:

• Simple decor
• A drink station
• A dessert or snack station

Your home will feel more open and your mind will feel lighter!

Tip 6: Create a home that flows for guests

Plan how guests will move through your home and set up clear zones. For example:

• A coat & bag drop near the entry
• A drink station away from the kitchen work area
• A main seating & conversation area
• A kids zone with games or crafts

Walk through your home as if you were a guest and create a mental traffic map. Move furniture to support that flow.

Make sure coat storage is easy to reach and not in the way of serving food. Check that extra chairs are not blocking a doorway or buffet line. Set up a small station for board games or hot cocoa near the living room so people naturally gather and linger.

A home with zones feels intentional and relaxed, not crowded and improvised.

Tip 7: Share the game plan with your guests

Good communication is one of the simplest hospitality tools. Let guests know what to expect before they arrive. You can send a short text or email that answers common questions such as:

• Where to park
• What time to arrive
• Where to place coats and shoes
• What is kid friendly
• Any special house rules

If it will be a late night and children are invited, remind parents that they can bring pajamas so kids can fall asleep on the drive home. Guests feel more at ease when they know the plan and you are free from repeating directions at the door.

Plan early. Clear what you do not need. Repurpose what you already own. Bring in help when it makes sense.

With proactive space planning, smart storage, flexible furniture and thoughtful guest logistics, you can create an environment of ease instead of stress. You will not only have a home that is ready for guests, you will actually have the time and calm to enjoy them!

Laura McHolm is an organizational, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services. www.northstarmoving.com