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The holidays might be regarded as the most wonderful time of the year but—between adding Instagram-worthy decor, whipping up a delicious feast, and finding the perfect presents for your little ones—it’s also the most stressful. Don’t believe us? Just ask Jenna Bush Hager. “Women put too much pressure on themselves to make everything perfect,” the television host and author tells Good Housekeeping. “We’re up, we’re running around, and we’re missing out because we’re not making it easier for herself.” Hager is all about making things a little easier so she can make memories with her family. Plus, she’s teaming up with Rao’s Homemade, the cult-favorite brand behind those rich, slow-simmered pasta sauces, to remind everyone to slow down and simplify the holiday prep. (The brand’s creamy marinara with mascarpone cheese also happens to be a 2026 Good Housekeeping Kitchen Award winner). So, how does Hager get into the festive spirit? Well, it starts with getting a head-start on her decorations. “I do my mantels and the Christmas lights before Thanksgiving,” she explains. “It just creates that joyful nostalgia in our house for as long as possible.” She tells Good Housekeeping that she sticks to a brown palette that can work for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. “I love that feeling of coming home to a lit mantel or a big wreath,” she explains. “We don’t get it for that long, so I’d rather extend it as long as possible.” Courtesy of Rao’s HomemadeThough Hager might put up her decorations early, she takes them down before her family travels for Christmas. Not only is it Hager’s nature—”I’m the type of girl who when I get home from a vacation, I unpack immediately,” she explains—but it also simplifies sending her three children back to school after the holiday break.Speaking of easy, Hager swears by doing a relaxed pasta dinner the night before Thanksgiving. “My kids eat all pasta,” she explains. “They don’t discriminate, which I appreciate.” For an easy-yet-yummy dish, Hager likes to make a pre-Thanksgiving baked ziti or baked rigatoni—complete with Rao’s Homemade marinara or vodka sauce. “You can do it beforehand,” she adds. “That’s helpful because I’m also setting the table and I like a table that look festive.” As for her tablescape, “I think the more eclectic, the better.” Hager says she likes to bring a collected look to her tabletop and incorporates a mix of different pieces, including grandmother Barbara Bush’s china. “I also like to forge things: I like to collect, cut our old hydrangeas, or cut branches,” she adds. “My friend’s a ceramicist, so I use a lot of her beautiful pottery.” A layered, lived-in look might be a non-negotiable, but so is dishwasher-friendliness. “My mother-in-law, who is a great entertainer, always said, ‘Put it in the dishwasher. Who cares?'” she explains. “You’d rather use it and make it easy enough to use than being precious about everything.” Once the pasta dinner is devoured and her plates are in the dishwasher, Hager can focus on what really matters: Spending time with her loved ones—especially with a cozy movie night or round of Rummikub.”The holiday weekend is really about hanging with our family, creating a memorable meal, sitting together, and making it more about that than anything else,” she says. We couldn’t agree more.Related StoriesKelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, and ELLE Decor, among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos. More
Jamie Ballard (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers news, lifestyle, and entertainment topics, including sex and relationships, TV, movies, books, health, pets, food and drinks, pop culture, shopping, and personal finance. She regularly contributes to Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and YouGov, among other publications. When she’s not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Follow her on Twitter. More
The best dishwashers can take a lot of work off your plate, so to speak. But many people miss key features of their dishwashers, like the extra-dry setting or that fact that many machines come with an adjustable dishwasher rack. Moving the top rack of your dishwasher up or down can allow you to load it more efficiently and create space for unusually tall items, like water bottles, sheet pans, and cutting boards. Below, our Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab experts explain how to tell if your dishwasher rack is adjustable and if so, how you can move it up and down. Although simple, a lot of people forget to adjust their dishwasher racks — or they don’t know it’s possible. When it comes to loading wine glasses or other tall items in the dishwasher, lowering the top rack can be a game changer.If your dishwasher rack has levers, you may be able to quickly change its position. Other models have top racks with multiple rows of wheels, requiring you to remove the top rack from its tracks and re-insert it using the other row of wheels.Before you try this clever tip, here’s one piece of advice from our Cleaning Lab: “When adjusting the rack, make sure that the rotating spray arm attached to the bottom has enough space to spin freely without hitting dishes on the bottom rack,” says Noah Pinsonnault, Home Care and Cleaning Reviews Analyst. Alyssa Gautieri (she/her) is the associate lifestyle editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers all things home and interior design. Prior to joining GH in 2022, she wrote for publications including ELLE Decor, Chairish, BobVila.com, Unique Homes Magazine and LODGING Magazine, in addition to crafting product copy for home brands like BrylaneHome and VIGO Industries.Jamie Ballard (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers news, lifestyle, and entertainment topics, including sex and relationships, TV, movies, books, health, pets, food and drinks, pop culture, shopping, and personal finance. She regularly contributes to Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and YouGov, among other publications. When she’s not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Follow her on Twitter. More
