The first long weekend of fall is just a few days away – which generally means large doses of turkey and family. If you’re hosting a feast, preparation mode may have already begun: menu planning, house cleaning, getting the guest room ready. And if you haven’t started, don’t worry… there’s still lots of time to get your home ready for Thanksgiving.

Let’s dive into the menu first. Before you begin planning, reach out to your guests to ask about any dietary restrictions. Beyond the more common gluten-free, no-dairy, or vegetarian diets, you may find a friend is allergic to something obscure, like parsley. You can easily avoid any awkward conversations or last-minute meal changes the day of by asking a simple question. Read one of our past blogs to find a variety of recipe suggestions.

Don’t stress about cleaning. Be realistic about what really matters and what you can accomplish before the big feast. Most of the time, your guests won’t notice a dusty shelf or fingerprints on a window. List out your cleaning priorities. Perhaps your biggest to-do is preparing the guest bedroom or cleaning your powder room. Tidy, vacuum, and lightly dust the spaces where your guests will gather, but there’s usually no need to embark on a deep clean – especially if time is a crunch. Here are some more specific steps on cleaning before guests arrive.

Speaking of guest bedrooms, make overnight visitors feel welcome and comfortable with these ideas from our blog archives.

There’s always an opportunity to extend hospitality and create a memorable experience with small gestures. Read this blog for some hosting tips.

Even if you aren’t having friends and family over for dinner and thanks, you can still add some autumn accents to your décor. Choose warm and rich colours – like burnt oranges, stately golds, and rusty reds. Place pumpkins and other autumnal squashes around your home. Fill your spaces with these plants that thrive through fall. Keep scrolling for some beautiful interiors inspired by autumn.

Image: Hoom Decoration

Image: The Lovely Drawer

Image: Couch Style

Image: Tages Anzeiger

Image: Dekoratif

Image: Joyfully Growing

Remember: this weekend is about gratitude. What are you thankful for?