Here are some ideas I put together to help you get organized before the Holidays season and stay organized afterwards too. I created a Holiday Checklist which allows you to check off all the things you may need to do to be ready for this busy time of year. If you want me to send you a copy, I would be happy to do so. Just pop me an email.
Declutter Kidstuff
It would be a really good idea to go through all the toys, crafts and books your children have accumulated before they receive more. Please involve them in the process. Even young children can understand that there are other children who do not get books and toys for Christmas and what a great thing they would be doing if they were to give some of their things to those with less. Most children love the idea of helping others and will usually willingly give away most of what they own.
Designate a Wrapping/Gift Closet
I can’t even count how many times I have found gifts shoved in the corner of a closet or storage room in a clients’ house that were meant to be given at Christmas but were “misplaced”. There is no better time than right now to go around your house and dig in all those areas where you might possibly have put gifts you bought months ago. And you might as well organize the wrapping supplies at the same time. Get yourself a container or two (it’s nice to use the red and green ones to signify Christmas) and decide on a designated location for gifts and holiday wrapping supplies. Voila! No more lost gifts.
Use a Shopping App
There are dozens of apps to help you with shopping and sticking to a budget. If you are an iOS user, download Santa’s Bag. This handy app allows you to make lists, keep track of your spending and share with others. Your kids can make their list in the app and share it with you. Nice. If you’re an Android user, try Christmas Gift List. This handy app keeps track of what you have purchased so far and what still needs to be purchased, tracks your spending and even allows you to track which gifts are wrapped.
Get Decorating!
I notice that my neighbors across the way had the holiday decorations and tree up by the third week of November. Now that’s what I call organized! However, I don’t think that’s the norm. A couple of weeks in advance seems plenty soon enough to me but I’m a bit of a Grinch so don’t listen to me if you like to do it early. The most important tip I can offer is instead of adding holiday décor on top of your year-round decor items, pack away those pieces in the bins that your holiday decorations are in and just use the holiday décor. Otherwise, you may end up with a sea of clutter and you won’t enjoy your holiday look.
Whew! Lots to do, so little time.
