Holiday Help

12 Tips of Christmas

Here are a dozen ideas to help you minimize the work and maximize the pleasure of the season. Thoughtfully choose the activities that will be meaningful for you and your loved ones this year, and streamline or discard the rest.

1.  GET IN THE HOLIDAY MOOD
 If you need to set the holiday mood to start wrapping gifts and writing out cards, take out the seasonal MUSIC or MOVIES and pop one in. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’re ready to tackle the holidays!
  
2.  CLEAR OUT
Clean out the old to make room for the new! Get rid of toys that your children have outgrown, are broken or no longer of interest to them. The same goes for the clothing closets. If you haven't worn it in the last 2 years, sell it or donate it. Take advantage of the year-end tax DEDUCTIONS.

3.  SIMPLIFY
Carry a small NOTEBOOK in your purse. Write down your thoughts immediately: things to buy, things to do, etc. This will free you from those nagging doubts and fear of forgetting something vital. Refer to it often.

4.  GIFTS
Once you come across an idea in CATALOGS, sales flyers, or elsewhere tear the page out and place the idea in a folder titled "gift ideas. If online make a note of the URL, or print the page and add to the file. Keep the ordering information and clip or staple them together with the name of the potential recipient. This could be a year round project making holidays that much easier.See below for my ideas for Clutter-Free Giving.

 5.  RECEIPTS
Get a large white envelope and label it Shopping Central. Put your shopping list there and keep ALL receipts in this envelope. This will make shopping and any returns a breeze.

 6.  HOSTESS GIFTS
Keep a supply of candles, boxed candy, wine or other small gifts on hand to use as GENERIC hostess gifts, teacher gifts, mailman gifts, etc. Or buy lots of poinsettias as soon as they appear in the stores, then use them to decorate your house and give them away as needed.


 7.  WRAP IT UP
 If you must wrap, remember the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce waste by wrapping gifts within gifts. Reuse paper, bags, or other containers. Recycle by choosing wrapping materials that won’t end up in a landfill.

8.  DECORATE
 Take SNAPSHOTS of your decorating arrangements to save time and decision making next year. Order double prints. Keep one set with your Christmas decorations to serve as instructions. Put the other set in your safety deposit box with your household inventory for insurance purposes. 

9.  STORE
 Consider giving decorations you haven’t displayed in years to new homes. Make a list of supplies you’ll NEED for next year, such as wrapping materials, cards, extension cords, and replacement light bulbs. Determine how many and what size containers you’ll need for storage. With this list, take advantage of after-Christmas SALES. Stick to your list, being careful not to collect more clutter just because it’s on sale. 

10.  MORE STORE 
Put away sorted decorations according to GROUPINGS. For example, keep all your tree trimmings together rather than scattering them throughout your storage boxes. Be sure to label each container according to its contents. Consider numbering your boxes according to decorating priority. “Box 1” would contain those items that you consider essential and would want to unpack first, such as decorating photos (see #9), holiday music, and special recipes. Take this opportunity to store other items that you ONLY use during the holidays, particularly those that take up valuable kitchen cupboard space like serving platters.

11.  GUESTS
If you expect overnight house guests try out the room by spending a night there first. Pretend you are a hotel guest and look at it with outsider’s eyes. Is the bed and room comfortable? What items would you want – clock, nice hangers, tissues, extra blanket? Does the room need to be CLEANED? This is a great time to get the room de-cluttered - throw out and donate some of the items that have inevitably found their way in.
  
12.  NEXT YEAR
The day AFTER Christmas, make next year's "to do" list so that you won't have to work so    hard again! Shop year round for gifts, decorations, and cards for those you love. Keep a running list of things you enjoyed, recipes that were a hit, activities to skip, and tips for making things easier on you and your household.