Celebrating the holidays is completely different when you own your own home. You can paint, hang, nail or bejewel whatever you want without worrying about upsetting your landlord or losing your deposit. You’re able to hang lights outside, something that’s impossible if you live in an apartment. Yes, the holidays in your own home is enjoyable and fun.

One of the best parts of having your own home is being able to entertain guests without worrying about disturbing nearby neighbors. Guests can mingle and move throughout your home as well as the front and rear yards.

Now, before you have that big family dinner at your new home, you’re going to need to know where to start. The first step is to get your house decorated. For Thanksgiving it’s always fun to set out pumpkins and fall decor, but as soon as Thanksgiving is over put up the Christmas tree and yard ornaments and be sure to decorate the outside of your house with lights. It cheers the entire neighborhood up!

Hosting all those guests will require that your guest room is set up. You can get great deals on furniture online on black Friday or simply set it up with a high quality air mattress so your guests feel comfortable. If there will be a lot of kids set them up with their own space away from the adults so they can have fun without annoying mom and dad.

Meal planning is next. It’s important that you choose a menu that is manageable to prepare and enjoyed by everyone. Choose appetizers and side dishes that can be made ahead of time so you have less work to do on the holiday.  If lots of family and friends are joining you, ask everyone to bring their favorite holiday dish to supplement the meal.

As you come together with your family this time of year, it’s important to remember that while having your own home is wonderful, what truly makes it a home is the fact that the entire family can come together in it.