I love the holiday season! It’s a time for yummy drinks, gorgeously festive home decor, and lots of time with friends and family. And speaking of friends and family, raise your hand if you’re hosting some (or all) of them in the next month or two. Now raise your hand if you also live small and have absolutely no idea how to squeeze more people into your house. If this is you, I totally feel your pain. Ever since I bought the tiny bungalow, I have hosted a Christmas brunch for a few of Sean’s family members… last year we squeezed 8 people into 640 sqft! Fear not, though, for it can be done! You just have to be a little bit strategic about it. Follow these tips and your holiday hosting will be a cinch!
Holiday Hosting Tips for Small Spaces
Make your guests feel welcome
First and foremost, I think it’s super important to make guests feel welcome. This is especially important when you’re in close quarters. Think about the people visiting and what their favorite snacks and/or skincare items might be and put together a little welcome basket (you could even adapt this gift basket I made to turn our house into an Airbnb!). They won’t even be thinking about the lack of space if they have a nice warm cookie to greet them or their fave face mask after traveling. It’s the simple things, am I right?
Do some planning in advance
Hosting during the holidays in a small space can definitely be made easier with some simple planning in advance. Think about how many places you’ll need for people to sleep compared to the space available. Consider the couch/pull out bed (if you have one), floor space for an air mattress, and any other areas you can get crafty with that can work for sleeping. I’ve mentioned it before, but we give guests free range of the house and stay on the sailboat so that everyone has enough space! Having all of this worked out in advance will eliminate tons of stress the day people arrive. Not to mention help avoid any awkward “I have no idea where you’re going to sleep” moments. No one likes those.
Stay organized
This tip is key. In a tiny house, the biggest thing you can do to make it feel spacious is keep it organized. If you’re pulling out couches and using air mattresses, chances are there’s literally zero space for walking or easily moving about the house. To avoid this, put everything away every morning after everyone wakes up. It will probably feel like a bit of extra effort, but it’ll be well worth it to able to walk through the house without tripping.
Have a designated space for bags/shoes
Along with planning out sleeping spots, you’ll also want to have designated spots for bags and shoes ready and waiting for your guests. Because your guests are visiting for the holidays, you’ll probably be spending more time in your house than running around out and about. This means keeping bags and shoes organized and put away will help eliminate clutter while everyone is lounging in the house throughout the day.
Feed them the best damn food and drinks possible
The best thing I’ve ever known to take someone’s mind off of staying in a cramped space is really good food and drink. Plus, it’s the holidays, which means food galore and the drinks are flowing — they might as well be really, really good, right? Right! If you need some inspo on this front, check out this cocktail recipe and this pumpkin Nutella swirl tart.
Ready to host?! You can do it, I promise! Does anyone else have tips for holiday hosting when you live small? I’d love to hear them!
