I think we all can relate, preparing for the holidays is chaotic, but cleanup can get worse! My husband keeps telling me that if I just plan for the chaos, it won’t be as stressful. I never quite understood him until recently, when we were cleaning out the kids rooms making way for their new furniture. We got rid of, by donation or garbage, dozens of bags full of toys, clothes, shoes, decor, books, etc. I realized how much nicer it was to unwrap their gifts knowing that there would be a special place for them when it was time to bring them to their rooms! Its amazing what that insight will do for an unorganized household. It suddenly makes everything fall into place! I started making a list of what an organized household looks like. Instead of approaching my house as a whole, I looked at it “after the holidays.” I find that when I take on a project, if I am overwhelmed from the start I am less likely to follow through. Approaching my holiday cleanup as a means to an end was a great way to jump start my determination for an organized household!

Christmas Decorations

Make next years decorating much more simple and fun by putting your decor away right this year!

• label storage boxes, and only include items in that box that the label states
• use different totes for each room
• donate or discard broken decorations or ones you no longer use
• wrap breakable ornaments in bubble wrap or kraft storage paper
• invest in at least one storage container each year for ornaments.
• designate a special place for wrapping paper and supplies.
  • tape up loose ends on wrapping paper before storing
  • designate one pair of scissors to gift wrapping and store them with your gift wrapping supplies
• Invest in a durable storage container for tree.

TIP: Wrap Christmas lights around used wrapping paper tubes to keep them from tangling!

 

Presents

Be proactive about gift storage by planning on making room for them!

• donate any old toys, clothes, decor
• when purchasing Christmas presents for your children, determine at the time of purchasing them how you will store them, and purchase the appropriate storage solutions (tubs, totes, etc) at that time.
• clip mailing addresses of Christmas cards and store in Rolodex for convenient access for sending out Christmas cards next year.

Reclaim your Kitchen! Part I | Leftovers

Make meal plans with your leftovers!

• make a meal plan with your leftovers (Immediate & Freezer Meal Plans)
• decide which leftovers you will freeze and which will be in your immediate meal plan; prepare these ahead of time so you are ready to organize these meals after your guests have departed.

Reclaim your Kitchen! Part II | Cleaning

Give your kitchen a FRESH START for the New Years!

• deep clean the un-thought of places
  • cabinet doors
  • fridge
  • stove
  • backsplash
  • dishwasher
  • stovehead
  • microwave
  • light covers, switches, outlets, etc.
• deep clean the floors
  • get in those hard to reach places such as corners, under and over trim, under vents, etc.

 

Its also a great idea to deep clean your other rooms as you are taking down decor. For example before re-arranging your living room after your tree is down scrub the trim, dust the hard to reach places and ensure that everything is back in its place!