Every holiday season comes with its own challenges and surprises. But, there are some that you know you can expect. Let’s look at a few of these holiday challenges and see how a little organization can actually help you overcome them!
Challenge 1: Holiday Stress
It’s the worst time of year to be anxious and stressed, but it’s also very common. With family staying over and something planned every weekend, it can quickly become overwhelming. So, before the season really gets into full swing, make the following commitment:
Each night before bed, I’ll spend at least 15 minutes putting everything back in its rightful place. Plus, I’ll wrap each gift the day I buy it and place under the tree.
It doesn’t sound like much, but just these simple tasks will help you keep your home a little less cluttered throughout the season. This will help you stay clutter free, which can lower stress levels. You’ll know where everything is and you’ll have less to add to your cleaning routine.
Challenge 2: Last-Minute Guests
When every day begins with everything in its proper place, you won’t fret when last-minute guests drop by. To help with this challenge, decide now on where guests will be if they stop by and how you can prepare.
Will they come in the front or back door? Will they need access to any rooms besides the living room and guest bathroom? By knowing the pathways they’ll take, you can ensure those are at the top of your priority list in staying organized and clean.
By having this plan in place, you’ll stop fearing those last-minute guests during your busiest time of the year!
Challenge 3: Gift Hiding
Now, if you keep with your plan of wrapping a gift as soon as you purchase it, you won’t worry about this at all. But, if that’s not possible, before you start your holiday shopping, you need to clear up some space!
Try to consolidate a few things in your closets to create space to keep your gifts away from prying eyes. There’s nothing worse than:
- Forgetting a gift in your extremely full closet.
- Someone seeing their gift early because there wasn’t room to hide it.
So, take a little time to organize and declutter to make room for your holiday shopping spree!
Challenge 4: Cooking for a Full House
Before your first guest arrives or you buy supplies for your first big dinner, you need to take these steps! Cooking for a large group, especially if you’ll be cooking multiple days in a row, is challenging. So, make it easier on yourself:
- Clean out cabinets, pantries and drawers, and add additional shelving if appropriate.
- Create zones. For instance, put all of your baking equipment and ingredients in the same area. If you’ll have kids over, then create a little snack corner for them away from your prep station so they’ll stay out of your way as you are working on the next meal.
- Make menus and checklists. Keep a chalkboard so guests can see what’s on the menu, but also so you can keep it organized in your own mind.
This article is full of ideas on how to organize your kitchen for the holidays!
Challenge 5: Storing Decorations
It’s never fun cleaning up after the holidays, so make it a little easier on yourself by organizing a little as you put decorations up. Are there any decorations you can donate? Is there a better way to store your decorations for the next year?
Knowing every ornament and decoration has a place will remove some of the dread of taking it all down for storage.
Here are some holiday organization hacks and ways to organize your present wrapping supplies.
Here are some other great ideas to help you declutter and overcome these holiday challenges! If you need the right tools to keep you organized, contact Dannenmueller, Blinds, Shutters & Closets for design ideas to rework your closet and pantry spaces.