How to Prepare for the Holidays
The winter holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. It can also bring stress, extensive travel, family challenges, and lots (and LOTS) of stuff. As professional organizers, the influx of new items during the holiday season is something that we need to discuss and prepare for with our clients. Every family is different and there is no right or wrong way to celebrate, but if you tend towards disorganization this increase in the volume of things in your home can be very disruptive. Check out the tips below for some best practices on how to prepare for a more organized holiday season!
Take Stock of What You Have
It is so easy to forget what you have if your life feels disorganized. So much of our work as professional organizers centers around helping our clients understand what they have and how to access it. Especially in a family with children where additional toys may be purchased as holiday gifts, it can be really helpful to review the current collection and to let go of items that are no longer needed. This is a wonderful thing to do to lighten up your space, or to make room for new things. The process of sorting and purging a category (like toys, dish-ware, or clothing) often leads to the rediscovery of past beloved items that may have been forgotten. It also offers an opportunity to say goodbye to things that have become clutter.
I have one client that decided to take stock of her children’s toy collections and will be re-gifting any unopened toys back to them this year - this is one strategy to offer the joy of opening something new without actually bringing anything additional into the home.
Discuss What You Want and Need
Christmas Lists can be functional at any age! While you are reviewing what you already have, you might notice some gaps that you would like to fill with holiday goodies. Maybe your favorite wool socks are finally beyond repair or you would really like to own a full set of matching wine glasses. Share what you would be interested in receiving as a gift with your loved ones. Most people have that family member who loves to buy them things that they will absolutely never use. Try to get ahead of this waste (of their money, your space, and your patience) by making specific requests. Not everyone will honor this, but it is a good place to start. If anyone gives you a hard time for not leaning in to the “magic of the holiday season,” feel free to remind them a genuine gift considers the needs and desires of the receiver, not the giver. Uncle Bob might not receive this well the first time, but it will keep one more piece of clutter out of your home!
Consider Alternatives to Traditional Gift Giving
If multiple loved ones express a desire not to accumulate more stuff, think about other ways that you could show your care for them without material goods.
Swap: It can be very fun to ask everyone to bring one nice item to share and to do a “White Elephant” gift swap. This usually includes a price restriction on any of the items purchased and is both an activity for the group together and a way to make sure that everyone receives a gift. This is an especially helpful strategy if the group that is gathering for the holidays doesn’t know each other very well.
Experiences: Give the gift of a flight voucher, concert tickets, or an invitation to a date at your favorite restaurant.
Care: Offer specific kinds of support that you know someone may need - for example, you can give them a “coupon” for an on-demand meal drop off, child care, or yard work. This could also be a meaningful letter describing how much someone matters to you or a playlist that conjures up a memory of a nice time that you shared. Even if these are things that you would do at any time, the intentionality of a gift of care means a lot to many people. And, it costs nothing!
Consumables: Holiday cookies, baking mixes, or shelf stable foods are a wonderful way to show love during the holiday season. Be sure to consider how well they will travel and if there are any dietary restrictions in the receiver’s household.
Donate: If you are lucky enough to not be in need during the holidays, consider sharing with those who are. The organizations listed below do wonderful work locally to support folks who don’t have all that they need.
We hope that you have a joyful, uncluttered, and stress-free holiday season. If none of these strategies work for you and the post-holiday clutter is too much to manage, please reach out to us! We would love to help you get organized before, during, and after the holidays to come.