Entries Tagged 'Holiday Organizing' ↓

Home Organization Christmas Tip #6

Errands & Shopping Solutions

Everything that needs to get done during the holiday season can quickly become overwhelming.  So many to-do’s, so many places to be!  How to get it all done on time?  Whenever I start to have so many things that I need to do floating around in my head, I know it’s time to make a list.  There is something very comforting about having it donewn on paper and out of my head, I know I’m not going to forget to do something if it’s down on paper.   We are all so busy, even throughout the rest of the year, there is no reason you should have to rely on your memory for everything.  We’ve got enough in our heads already!

Here are some ways that you can get organized and stay on top of your to-do list:

• Buy yourself a bright colored folder and make that your Christmas folder for your lists and recipes so they aren’t floating around in piles.  No digging!
• Make several lists:  Menu, grocery, gifts you need to buy, errands you need to run.  Keep them in the folder ready to grab when you are heading out the door.
• Shop during the week if at all possible to avoid the really long lines and full parking lots.
• Online shopping anyone?  Enjoy sitting in the comfort of your own home any time of the day or night, click, pay,ship,done!  Take advantage of free shipping wherever you can.
• Cut back on how many gifts you are going to buy and how many people you are going to buy for.

Stay organized this holiday season and make your errands and shopping trips less stressful!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #5

Easy Entertaining

What will holiday parties and entertaining be all about for you this year?  Will it be about going all out and working for hours in the kitchen?  Well, if you love to cook that may be ideal for you.  If you are like me, then not so much.  Are you working hard in the kitchen because cooking is your passion or is it because you feel some sense of obligation to create the “perfect” party?  It’s up to you to decide if  you are going to work so hard or if this is the year to take a few shortcuts.  I’m all about the shortcuts!

To organize holiday gatherings and keep it simple, try these ideas:

• Guests love to feel like they are helping-let them.  When they ask if they can bring something, the answer is always yes!  You’ll get to try new dishes this way and have a lot less to prepare.
• Prepare food and decor as much as you can ahead of time.  That way you won’t feel as rushed or as much pressure the day of your event.  I even set the table the night before.
• Buy store bought items and add something yummy to them to make them a little bit homemade.  Dip cookies into chocolate, add your own raspberry sauce to a purchased cheesecake, have kids bake a boxed dessert.  It all still tastes good!
• Just have company over for dessert and coffee instead of sharing a full dinner.  Everyone is busy at this time of year, so they may appreciate the shorter visit as well.

It’s really all about enjoying the company of the people that you have cared  enough about to invite into your home.  The event doesn’t have to be perfect, adjust your focus on quality time instead.  Organize easy holiday visits this year with tip #5!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip #4

Simple Decorating

Decorating for the holidays, both inside and out, is a huge part of feeling in the holiday spirit.  It can also be a very big time committment depending on how “all out” you go each season.  How important are the decorations to you?  When you looked at your goals for the holiday season, was decorating at the top of the list? 

Personally, I like to put some decorations out, but I really don’t like to see it for very long.  The decor I have isn’t fancy, it’s all the little cutsie ceramic Santas and reindeer, nothing matches.  And I’m fine with that and my kids have seen these items year after year, but if it’s out too long it starts to feel like clutter to me.  And you can only guess how I feel about clutter! 

So, if going BIG on decor at the holidays is your ‘thing’ than great-you go for it!  But don’t feel pressure to do so if it’s not your thing.  You can still get a holiday feel in your home by going smaller scale with items like:

• Poinsettias throughout the house
• Candles in holiday colors on tables
• Candy dishes with holiday candies
• Wreath on the front door
• A holiday tablecloth on the dining table

Just little splashes of red and green from these items will help create a holiday feel without having to do too much work.  And remember, when you get out your decor it’s a great time to decide what you still want to keep and what you want to pass on.  You have one more opportunity before you put it away again after Christmas.  You don’t have to keep anything you don’t like anymore-even if someone gave it to you.  One more way to be organized at the holidays!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip # 3

Completing Holiday Letters

Holiday letters can be a lot of fun to receive.  So often we are  really busy and we lose track of what is going in the lives of people who are important to us.  These holiday letters can help us get a look into what was happening with their families throughout the year and get us caught up.  We can do the same for others by sending out our own updates & photos.  Here are a few ideas to help make that happen:

• Create a Word document on your computer listing every month of the year.  Each month go in and jot down a few notes of highlights from the month.  That way when it is time to sit down and write your letter, you don’t have to rack your brain trying to remember what you did all year.  The highlights are right in front of you.
• Don’t make holiday letters too long.  People want to check in but they don’t want to read a book, the front of one page will do.
• Make sure your news is relevant, upbeat and informative.  Don’t get caught up going on and on with too many details or negative news.
• If you don’t want to write a whole letter, just have photo postcards made or create a postcard on your computer with a brief message or update from your family.

Let people know you are thinking of them and keep them up-to-date with your family happenings in a simple and organized way!

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Home Organization Christmas Tip # 2

Preparing Holiday Cards

Have you noticed (how could you not?) that Christmas decor starts coming out in some stores by September?  I personally think that is waaay too early and it even kind of bugs me for some reason.  BUT, it often means that Christmas cards are also for sale and you really can put that to your best advantage.  You can purchase Christmas cards ahead of the actual holiday season and choose a time to start working on them.  Breaking down any task into smaller tasks makes things much more manageable.  Here are some tips to help you with Christmas cards:

1. Create a document on your computer to keep track of the names of everyone you want to send a card to.  Each year you can just go in and add and delete names as needed.  I print off a copy to keep next to me as I address and write in cards so I can check them off as I go. 
2. Create a document for your Christmas card mailing labels.  Years ago I worried that labels may be too impersonal, but then I noticed more and more people were using them.  I then realized I would rather have someone print a label and actually get a card, then have people give up on sending cards because of the work of handwriting  addresses.  Again, you can add, delete and make corrections when someone has a new address throughout the year.
3. Make cards as simple or as creative as you have time and energy for.  A store bought card-great!  A handcrafted card-great!  Whatever you want as long as it doesn’t cause stress and pressure.
4. Choose a date that you would like to have all your cards done by and do the math to figure out how many you need to do each day to get them out on time.

Setting up documents in the computer will take you time, but it’s a great investment to make future holiday seasons less stressful and more organized!

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Home organization for the holidays:  Christmas Tip #1

Decide How You Want to Spend Your Holiday

In order to know when you are going to say yes and when you should say no to a request on your time and energy, you must first have a goal for how you want to spend your time.  What will the holidays be about for you this year?  Do you want to concentrate on a lot of gift giving?  Is it important to you to be all about charity this year?  Do you picture just sharing quiet time with your immediate family?  Is it all about socializing and enjoying lots of parties?  There is no wrong answer here.  It’s just about really thinking about where you want to place your focus.   There’s not much time left until Christmas, the time will go by quickly and if you try to do it all then it may turn into a stressful few weeks until the new year.

And what is important to you may change from year to year and that’s ok.  Each year does not have to be an exact duplicate of the year before.  Some years you may have more energy than other years.  Some years you may experience difficulties in your life or with your health and may not be up to doing as much.  It’s all ok.  Just decide what is important for you that year and place your focus there.

When someone asks you for your time or energy you can make a decision on whether to say yes or no according to the goals you have for your time!  Stay organized and stress-free with Christmas tip #1! 

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The 12 Organizing Tips of Christmas Are Coming!

A tip each day starting the day after Thanksgiving Nov. 27^th

A sample of topics:

·        Know how you want to spend your holiday this year

·        Preparing holiday cards & newsletters

·        Simple decorating tips

·        Easy entertaining

·        Staying on top of errands & shopping

·        Simple holiday decor storage solutions

Happy Holidays!

Monika Kristofferson, Professional Organizer

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