How to Prepare Your Home for Santa

You’ve been good all year and Santa is preparing his journey. If you’re on the Nice List, there’s just one last thing to do—get your home ready for Santa’s arrival.

If you’re unsure if Santa is coming, you can track his trip to all the nice boys and girls with the NORAD radar.

But don’t stay up and wait for Santa. He only comes to homes with sleeping children. If you stay up all night, he may not show at all.

Clean the house

Give Santa a clean home to enter. You don’t want him hurting himself or getting dirtier than he has to.

• Wipe down counters
• Mop and polish
• Empty dishwasher
• Spot clean
• Rake up any leaves
• Dust and vacuum
• Clean gutters
• Change air filter

Decorate the tree and home

If you haven’t decorated your Christmas tree, now is the time to get the family together. Deck the halls, hang the stockings, and put the final touches on your winter wonderland.

Make your own decorations and entertain the kids with paper snowflakes, gingerbread houses, and other holiday crafts and activities.

Decorate outside

Light up your home so Santa can make a safe landing. Some outdoor-rated string lights will do the trick, but consider adding wreaths, large ribbons, present boxes, and lanterns.

Clean your chimney

Make sure your chimney and fireplace are professionally inspected and cleaned once a year. Creosote buildup from past fires can accumulate in the chimney and cause a fire hazard and a filthy Santa suit.

Show Santa some respect and make sure your chimney and fireplace are clean. Plus, he won’t get soot all over your clean home.

Give Santa a clear landing

Inspect the roof for excessive decorations. You want to make sure there is plenty of room to land and take off.

If your roof is inaccessible, you can inspect it from the ground using binoculars. Use a safety harness (attached to the chimney’s base) if you do choose to go on the roof.

Be on the lookout for missing, damaged, and curling shingles as well as large patches of moss or lichen. Suspect a problem with your roof? Contact a professional roofer.

Don’t worry about snow and ice, but ice dams should be addressed

Do not try to remove snow or ice from the roof—it’s Santa’s natural terrain. Plus, it makes for a much easier and softer landing. If you are worried about excessive snow and ice on your roof, speak with a professional roofer.

But you definitely don’t want to see ice dams—that thick mass of ice and snow that forms on the edges of roofs. Poor insulation and ventilation are the main causes of ice dams.

If you notice ice forming behind the gutters, through the soffit, or hanging on the edge of the roof or gutter, contact a professional HVAC company.

Fix the root causes of the problem now to avoid having to consider a new roof or gutter system.

Clean the gutters

Gutter cleaning and maintenance is important to keep water and moisture away from the siding and foundation.

In order to make sure your roof can handle all the snow and precipitation this winter, clean your gutter at least twice a year.

You don’t want to be dealing with basement flooding and water damage during the holidays. Check the gutter and downspout system once a month or so to ensure water is being diverted away from your home and toward a drain. Consider installing downspout extenders.

Learn more winter storm preparedness and how to protect your home from flooding.

Set out milk and cookies

Bake fresh cookies for Santa. It can be chocolate chip, gingerbread, or any cookie will do.

If you don’t have cookies and milk, you can leave anything you think he might like. Popular offerings include mince pie, rice pudding, sherry, hot cocoa, mandarin oranges, candy, chocolates, and cake.

Follow Christmas tree safety

Keep Santa and everyone else safe from Christmas tree hazards by following these precautions:

• Make sure Christmas tree is at least 3 feet away from any heat sources, such as candles, fireplaces, radiators, and spaces heaters.
• Check lights for a label from UL (Underwriters Laboratory) or other independent testing laboratory.
• If you notice any damaged cords, loose connections, or bare wires, dispose of them properly and replace.
• Read manufacturer’s instructions for how many light strands you can safely connect at one time.
• Make sure tree and wires are not in a high-traffic area or blocking an exit.
• Add water to the tree stand daily.
• Use flameless candles, not real ones.
• Test smoke and CO alarms every month and make sure there is at least one on every level. Change batteries if it’s been over a year.

When Christmas is over, dispose of the tree before it gets dry. Look up your local Christmas tree recycling program.

Make a personalized to-do list

Everyone will have their own unique to-do list before Christmas. There’s not much time, but create a list of final tasks to complete, such as getting the home ready for family and friends.

Check with your guests what, if anything, they will be bringing, such as drinks and desserts. Prepare everything you need for Christmas dinner.

Writing things down helps ensure they get done.

Keep the magic alive

“Though I’ve grown old the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.” – Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express

If you have young children at home who believe in the magic of the season, keep them convinced by leaving careful evidence behind.

• Boot prints near the fireplace/tree
• Eat the milk and cookies
• If you left carrots or biscuits out for the reindeer, leave nibbled bits behind
• As a final touch, you can sprinkle some glitter (magic dust) around the house

Now get some sleep. You’ll need the energy for friends and family on Christmas.

Contact Bell Brothers to make sure your heating, insulation, windows, and ventilation systems are working safely and efficiently this winter season.

If you have any issues with your heating, cooling, plumbing, or windows, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.