The Wish List – Holiday Tips!


The Wish List – Holiday Tips for Getting Organized and Decluttering!

 

It’s that time of year! I can smell the freshly baked cookies.  All of the beautiful twinkling lights are starting to go up.  Holiday cheer is in the air and it is time to spend quality time with the ones you love the most!  Now is the time to downsize your clutter and Christmas décor.  Think “Minimal.” After all we don’t want the jolly man in the red suit to trip over all of the clutter when he delivers those Christmas presents!

Decorating

  • Instead of decorating your space with 20-30 small items, pick 5-7 larger focal items that are festive. This way your home will still look beautiful for the holidays but you’ll have less work when it comes time to clean up after the holidays.
    • Put your tree up and a pretty wreath on your front door.
    • Swap out everyday items with something more festive such as a soap dispenser or even a holiday candle.

Santa’s Wish List – One in One Out

  • For every item that you or your child puts on that Christmas Wish List for Santa, choose one item to donate. This way you are decluttering in advance to make room for those NEW toys and gadgets that you get for Christmas. (This rule can also be used for BIRTHDAYS!)
    • This also give you the opportunity give to those who are less fortunate, making another child’s Christmas that much better.
    • Do you have items in the back of your bathroom cabinet that you never use? Or clothes in your closet that you never wear? Consider tossing those items out or donating.
    • Maybe you wished for a new set of dishes or a small appliance for Christmas, donate the old item(s) to make room for the new one(s).

*If you would rather wait until after Christmas, another option is to lay all of your new gifts out on a bed or table and then swap                 each item that you want to keep for one that you are willing to donate.

Gifts and Holiday Cheer!

  • It’s time to wrap all of those presents you have scoured the stores for.  You may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Choose a room with an open space to designate as a wrapping station/room.
    • Gather all of your items that you use for wrapping presents and store them in individual bins, i.e. tags, bows, tissue paper, bags, scissors, tape, wrapping paper, etc. This will make each item easily accessible when it comes time to use them.
      • The dollar tree is a great place to find bins or you can shop in your own home!  Re-purposing bins that you already have will help you save money and also declutter in other areas.
        • Note: Once you have all of your items organized into bins it will make it much easier to store after the holidays and you will know exactly where it is for next year!
    • Store your wrapping paper rolls in a hanging garment bag in your closet OR a tall basket. You can even hang your gift bags from a hanger according to season/occasion.
    • Use a large plastic bin for your purchased gifts.
      • Note: if you do not want anyone to see what’s inside, use one that has a lid and you cannot see through.
    • Inside of the bin use a separate bag for each person you have purchased gifts for.  Fill each bag with that persons unwrapped gifts.  Wrap a few presents each night leading up to Christmas so you are not overwhelmed on Christmas Eve!  As you wrap their gifts, put them back into the appropriate bag.  Doing so, you will not have to hunt for their gifts when it comes time to hand them out.

Especially this time of year, it is very important to stay organized by being a step ahead. Preparing your space in advance will result in less stress and more time for holiday cheer and hot chocolate next to the fireplace!

*Something to consider – More and more people are preferring to receive a service or experience as a gift!  Feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation for your Organizing and Design needs!

We Hope that you all enjoyed these helpful holiday tips!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from your Ideal Organizing + Design Solutions Family!