Holiday Decorating & Storage
This time of year can be fun, but also get overwhelming very quickly.
There is a way to keep the organization and clutter manageable.
Keep reading for some top tips for creating less stress during the holidays.
Have a calendar (and stick to it!).
Keep a calendar of all your holiday events and obligations. I encourage to even create deadlines for completing shopping, wrapping paper, when to shop, etc. The more you can look at what you have going on and plan, the better and less stressful the season will be.
Take inventory of what you have already before you buy more.
Before going out to buy gift wrap, decorations, or gifts, figure out what you have leftover from other years. You will save money, time, and space by not adding things you don’t need into your home.
Prioritize only the essentials, save other to do items for later.
Your to-do list could double, or even triple, this time of year. Prioritize your list, what needs to happen this month, what can be pushed off to the new year. Think about what has to be done and make your list manageable.
Declutter as you decorate, and declutter as you put everything away.
When you take out your holiday decorations, you’ll realize quickly that there are some you won’t put up - ask yourself why. Ask yourself if it’s something you can part with or why you are still keeping it. You might surprise yourself with how much you could donate, and the truth is, if you aren’t putting the decoration up, there is a good chance it’s something you can let go of.
Encourage everyone in your household to donate items when new items are coming in.
During the holiday season many new things come into the home. A great way to avoid having too much and not having places to put the new things, there are two ways you can pull out things in your home you no longer use. First, clear out before the items come in. What do you not use or need anymore? Or, once items come in you could swap old items out, maybe 1 in, 1 out, or if you really want to clear out, 1 in, 2 out.
The most important thing is to keep everything manageable. Anything that can be pushed off to later, let it. See what your calendar truly looks like, aka your true availability, and ask for help when you need it. When things are feeling overwhelming take a break and re-evaluate what you have on your list. Edit as needed!