5 Tips for organizing a H.A.P.P.Y. holiday
Reading time – 3 minutes
Here are some tips for holiday planning to make a H A P P Y season.
Holiday Decorating
You may be feeling overwhelmed or disorganized by the number of items on display in your house. Try putting the non-seasonal items away to reduce the number of items on display.
Think about decorating with fewer items but larger size items. This means there are fewer items to pack and unpack which will reduce the amount of time you need to prepare your home.
Take advantage of using linens to cover tables or end tables and seasonal pillowcases to cover throw cushions to decorate couches. They may be less bulky to store and cover a larger area making your home seem completely decorated while taking less time to get the job done.
Use items that self-destruct so you don’t need to pack them away, flowers, paper towels, and tissue boxes all give your house a festival spirit but don’t need to be packed away and stored.
When you go through your decorations part with the ones you no longer need early in the month so thrift stores have an opportunity to sell them and so they don’t need to store them until next year. Some stores don’t take holiday décor in January and then you will be stuck storing them for another year.
What tips do you have for a H.A.P.P.Y holiday season? Share on XAccept Help
Acknowledge that you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed and when people offer to do things say yes. We all love to help people so let people feel good about themselves by allowing them to help you.
Parties may be larger again this year. It is a good time to try a new way of doing things. Allow people to help clean up dishes on their way out the door. Be ready for it. Have a place to put cutlery to soak. Have a container for compost. Put glasses or coffee mugs directly into the dishwasher.
You may need to accept help with setting up a hybrid party. Put one of those “youngsters” in charge.
Planning is important
Use a to-do list. Divide your to-do list into to pick up, to e-mail, to call, to buy then you can plan your day and route to get things done and not be driving back and forth all over town. The trick here is to look at the list and use it not just make it.
Keep your plans from year to year, record your menu, grocery list quantities and timelines. Each year you can reuse, revise and update the plan.
People and relationships are the reason for the season
Some people like to send cards in December. I keep my cards and addresses and stamps together. When I am going somewhere where I will be waiting I pick up the supplies and take them along and write my cards. I have done it in many places including my van. I usually leave replies to someone who has sent me a long letter until January.
Use your spare moments to write cards
You may want to send e-cards. Jacquie Lawson is the site I use. If you want to automate the card-sending operation there is a company called Send Out Cards. You can attach a gift to the card.
Gift-giving may be an area where you are developing a system. Have you thought about Clutter-free gift giving?
Consider the idea of a gift that self-destructs. See my post on Clutter Free Gift Giving .
Yes you can
Being organized is more about an attitude than how something looks. It is not about having the perfect home, party or gift. It is doing the best you can with the time and resources that you have. The only way to get better at organizing is to practice. It is a skill that can be learned and with practice, it becomes easier and easier.
Julie Stobbe is a Trained Professional Organizer and Lifestyle Organizing Coach who brings happiness to homes and organization to offices, coaching you virtually using Zoom. She has been working with clients since 2006 to provide customized organizing solutions to suit their individual needs and situations. She uses her love of teaching to reduce clutter, in your home, office, mind and time. If you’re in a difficult transition Julie can coach you to break-free of emotional clutter constraining you from living life on your terms. Online courses are available to help instruct, coach and support your organizing projects. Get started by downloading Tips for Reorganizing 9 Rooms.
Contact her at julie@mindoverclutter.ca
Twitter – Facebook – Facebook group Organizing Mind and Space
I am genuinely thank ful to the owner of this web page who has shared this fantastic article at at this time.
I am glad I could help you make your holiday preparations go more smoothly. Happy New Year
I’m laughing over here about the term “self-destruct!” That is so funny, and such a good idea. I’ve become so mindful when buying gifts and decor to seriously think about where the items will live, both in season and out of season. I’m moving toward more consumables for myself and for those to whom I give.
I am glad I could supply a chuckle. I also figure out where it can be stored off-season before making a purchase.
I really like the idea of going for Big Items for Big Impact. The self-destruct if also a great idea.
This year I some how got into putting up lights inside. They also big impact for not too much work.
Accepting help is a BIG thing. This is something that I continue to work on. I’ve come to understand just like I like to help, other people like to help too. It feels good to help. So accepting help is another way of making your guests feel welcome. Offers to bring food, clear the table, load the dishwasher, fill up the ice bucket, or “anything you need,” have become easier for me to accept.
I know that sometimes it’s a challenge to figure out what I can delegate if asked. So I try to keep that in mind as I’m getting things ready. And if there’s something someone that wants to help can do, I like to say, “Sure! How about….?” It’s a double feel-good, plus it really is helpful.
Thanks for your comment. You have voiced my sentiments as well so graciously.
I love your tip about decorating with fewer, but larger sized items. That will really make the decorating and putting away process easier. I also agree with your tip to donate decorations that you will not use earlier in the month, so maybe someone else can use them this season!
It’s not fun when you are overwhelmed and you have the stuff to do. Asking for help in advance of doing the holiday decorating, is important.
My big treat is my son offered to bring 3 desserts for Christmas (without me asking). I took my own advice and said yes please bring them. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie and a surprise pie.
This post is so timely! This year I did just what you suggested, tried decorating with more of the bigger Christmas items and kept an entire rubbermaid bin of the smaller items packed away. I’ve decided that as long as I don’t miss them this season (so far, I don’t), I will donate them in January. It has been so freeing to not have so much Christmas clutter around the house. I now need to work more on the “planning” part of the Christmas season, as I feel like time gets away from me around the holidays. Thank you so much for sharing!
I am glad to hear you are trying something new. If you enjoy it fantastic if not you can go back to using the smaller decorations next year. I really enjoy the cleaning and packing up when it takes less time to put it away in January. Happy holidays.
SO much wisdom in this post. I love the idea that being organized “is an attitude, not the way something looks.”
One decorating technique I’ve had great success with is using the same bases and changing out the embellishments. We have a lot of glass containers in different shapes and sizes and I use those as bases for holiday floral, filler, candles, and other decor that’s either easy to store or replace. It cuts down on clutter and time significantly. We’re also big into holiday linens. It’s a great excuse to rotate in fresh blankets, pillows and towels every week or two.
I have used the same candle holders that are out all year and added one more Christmas candle to the grouping. It is a simple step to change the decoration without spending a lot or taking much time. It is similar to your bases and glass containers.
Because I don’t celebrate Christmas, I am often overwhelmed, just as an observer, by how much effort goes into making the holiday celebrations just right. I love your decorating suggestions (and giggled at the self-destruct option). And the idea of using fewer but larger items to decorate makes so much sense! Great tips!
I help a lot of clients get their decorations out for Christmas. I see that some enjoy the process and some are overwhelmed by it. Making all parts of the holidays easy makes the season enjoyable. Sometimes we forget to change our traditions as the situations change. Still keeping the joy and reducing the stress.
Julie, I’m such a fan of bigger decorations – they make a statement without that fiddly, cluttery feel.
I like the ease of big decorations. I have dishes with a winter theme that I also use at Christmas and until about March.