3 Strategies for Taming Holiday Chaos
I don’t know about you, but in those languid days between Christmas and New Year, a particular type of energy blossoms within and I begin channeling my inner KonMari. Next thing you know, I’m surveying my home with a critical eye.
When taking stock of the holiday chaos that consumes our lives, it’s easy to get overwhelmed—but you can deploy these 3 strategies to refresh your home while still getting that much needed break.
The trick to the whole thing is editing your holiday décor and accessories *this* year, before packing everything up for next season. It’s easier to make good decisions when the items that serve you—and those that don’t—are fresh on your mind.
Say goodbye to tired or broken décor.
Paring down your holiday décor puts a stop to being engulfed by the sheer volume of your holiday stuff and spreads good cheer to others through donation.
Anything that’s broken, like that lawn reindeer whose lights no longer work, is a no-brainer. But what about all those scraps of gift wrap you’ve been collecting for wrapping small items? And those old Christmas dishtowels? Toss or donate to someone who will get more joy out of it.
Delete underused serving pieces and cookware.
Take stock now of the utensils, cookware, serving platters and table décor you didn’t use between Halloween and Christmas. Whatever you haven’t used recently you probably never will, and definitely not enough to store forever.
Also consider the items you just don’t love (oversized melamine platter, I’m looking at you). They take up precious space—in your cabinets and also in your bandwidth. Donating them means a simplified holiday next year. Your future self thanks you.
Organize your fridge.
No need to go crazy: Simply take stock of what you have and make a plan to turn those leftovers into casseroles before they go bad. It’s frustrating to throw out things you paid good money for, yet so gratifying to use up what you bought.
A quick straightening up, tossing out of that which cannot be saved and mental inventory of what’s left will help prevent waste and give direction to your meal planning. Sayonara cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving.
