It’s hard enough to stay organized the eleven other months out of the year, but add some crazy relatives visiting, three other dogs, a Christmas party, and a big ol’ dose of holiday cheer and pretty soon your house looks like a tornado came through. However, there are some things you can do to retain at least some of your sanity.
When the holiday season first starts, even though it’s hard to resist, try to go easy on the decorations. Taking down a ton of boxes from the attic and strewing them across the house is a quick way to create mess, so instead try to use decorations that either you replace each year, or that are easy to pack. String Christmas lights, tinsel, or poinsettias are all beautiful and simple ways to decorate the house!
Photo Credit: www.limosinn.org
Another classic culprit of clutter is the mail. Especially during the holiday season you will be inundated with catalogs, holiday specials, Christmas cards, and more. Try to recycle the shopping mail as quickly as possible- anything you want to buy can be found online, and instead of letting the Christmas cards pile up on the counter put them on the walls or the fridge to add some holiday cheer!
Giving and receiving gifts is a fun part of Christmas, however it can also be one of the more stressful parts. Two great ways to reduce this stress are: shopping online to avoid the crazy crowds and waiting until you have bought all of your gifts to wrap them so the wrapping paper, scissors, tape, ribbons, etc. are only out one time!
A great tip that will help the house stay clean year round is spending 5 minutes each night tidying up. Nothing too strenuous, just putting away, throwing away, straightening up here and there to prevent the little things from becoming a huge mess by the end of the week.
Finally, remember to enjoy yourself! A little mess is a sign of a good time and as always the most important thing is appreciating time with loved ones. Happy holidays!
