It’s time to talk holiday organizing! Let’s be honest, the holidays are great, but they can often come with a lot of stress. While we can’t minimize the stress that say, your Aunt Ruth makes you feel as she goes over your entire home with a critical eye, we can help eliminate the stress around the prep for the holidays and the cleanup when it’s all said and done.
So much of the enjoyment of special occasions is in the prep work And when the prep work is done thoughtfully we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor even more.
To begin, decorating is a key factor. Decorating for the seasons helps bring the feeling of the season into our homes and experience it everyday. For you, that may look like a giant tree in all the trimmings, lights galore outside, bows and boughs, Santas, elves, and more. Or, it may look like a winter solstice of quiet, simple reflection with sparse decorations that make you feel peaceful. Either way, when we pull out the decorations from their dusty storage bins, it is the perfect time to look through everything we’ve gathered over the years and make some decisions on whether these items are still serving us and our home well. Ask yourself these questions:
Are the items still in good condition?
Have my tastes and style changed since I acquired these items?
Do I still feel good and fuzzy memories when I use these items to decorate my home?
Items that pass these test get displayed and items that don’t can be on their way to the donate/trash/recycle bins as necessary. Remember that all year long and especially at the holidays we want to fill our homes with things that are functional for our current lifestyles and bring joy and happy memories to our lives!
Next up, your calendar! Schedules get increasingly busy during the holiday season and if you love that hustle and bustle you should absolutely enjoy it, but if like me you find yourself questioning the ”busy” and wanting more time to just enjoy the season slowly, keep reading. You are your schedule’s keeper and you make the rules! Things to think about:
Decide now what special events you’d like to attend with your family this year.
What kind of memories do you want to have when you look back on this season?
How do you want to remember feeling?
If the answer is feeling peaceful, happy, and like you took the time to enjoy your family and friends and reflected on all the year has held, then let‘s block out that calendar and begin practicing using the words “We’ll have to miss that this year.”
FOMO is real and I definitely fall victim to it but the stress I feel from trying to participate in everything happening during this season is just not worth it. My husband and I were just talking the other night about how we desire to go back to a time where Winter was a slow season, a time to go within, spend time with family and be reflective. I want more of that this year and less hustle and bustle. I still have “full” weekends for the month of December, but they are the kind of “full” I want, filled with giving back, attending my son’s basketball games, and experiencing the beautiful Christmas traditions in our town.
Meal planning is not my favorite activity. I mean who wouldn’t love for food to just appear, made by someone else and ready to eat?! However, a private chef is not in my budget this year. 😉 Here are a few things you can do:
Supplement your meal planning with a meal delivery service like Home Chef or Every Plate.
make the meals you plan super simple and as pre-made as possible.
Use pre-cooked meats from the freezer section, pre-prepped frozen veggies like diced onions, etc.
If I can save time in the kitchen, I’m all for it! For the big meals you’ll share with others this holiday season, I highly recommend making it a potluck or divvying up cooking responsibilities. The food will taste just as delicious if you don’t make every single thing yourself, and maybe even better because you won’t be all out stressed!
Whatever your style, preferred level of “busy”, or holidays celebrated, I hope you have an amazing holiday season full of love, warm fuzzy feelings, family & friends, and joy!
May you have One Less Stress this holiday season!
With love,
Meg & the OLS Team