The Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays are one of my favorite times of year. I just love the scents, sounds and sights of the season. What I don’t enjoy is the stress and how overwhelming it can be at times. So I am writing a series on “Steps to Create a Stress-Free Holiday Season”. We begin with everyone’s favorite (laugh)…Cleaning and Organizing.
Clean and Organize
Clean Out the Linen Closet
Go through your linen closet and remove old, worn and tattered linens. Now is a good time to update your linen closet with fresh towels, crisp sheets and the like. Not only will your houseguests appreciate it but, these small changes will help set the pace for the holiday season. While you are at it, make sure to “dry clean” you comforters too.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
If you don’t already have one, creating a schedule for household chores can be a great help. Of course, if you can afford to hire a cleaning service, then that could help to “free up” some much needed time. You may even consider using a group buying service such as Groupon or LivingSocial to help save on cost.
Organize the Kid’s Toys
There is no better time to go through the kid’s toys and games than before Christmas. This will not only help to get your house clutter free, but it will “free up” some space for the new toys and gadgets that are likely to follow soon after.
Sort and Organize Your Family’s Clothing
Why? Well, it’s healthy to do some purging every now and again. Get rid of clothes that are worn, dated or don’t fit. Out of necessity, most of us go through our young kid’s clothing frequently because they outgrow them so quickly. But, it is important that mommies do that for themselves too!
Donate Unwanted/Useable Items to Charity
Any items that are still in good working condition can be donated to charities such as the Red Cross and Goodwill. Donating these items are a great way to be a blessing to another family.
Stock Up on Paper Products
Paper napkins, paper towels, wax paper, foil paper, and toilet paper…will disappear quickly over the holidays. Factor in a flurry of houseguests and a dinner party or two and you have a possible paper crisis. Avert any mishaps by stocking up on those supplies now. Take advantage of things like printable coupons to give you a “head start”.
Sort/Organize/Print Holiday Photos
OK..be honest. Where are last year’s Christmas photos? If they are still on a jump drive, hard drive or electronic file somewhere, then you are not doing a good job of archiving those holiday memories. To be honest, that is also something that I am striving to get better at. Instead of sitting on those memories take advantage of deals through companies like Shutterfly and make some holiday photo albums to capture those memories.
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