Last year, you might have done that whole last minute squirreling away of your countertop mess into some adjacent, albeit not entirely appropriate, cupboard or drawer in preparation for your holiday guests. This year, perhaps, you will heed my entreaty to please, PLEASE avoid the mad-dash-stash at all costs.

Fancy hearing that hands-in-prayer-pose request, plus other holiday hosting topics (including the houseguest essentials kit pictured here)? Head on over to New Day Northwest, Seattle’s morning talk show, to catch the segment. 

Psst: Basket //  deodorant // toothpaste // toothbrush // charging cable // eyemask (available in so many colors that I wish I had seen!) // hand cream (which smells as divine as it feels) // soap