Ditch the Stress and Deck the Halls
The holidays are upon us once again! With all the comings and goings, the tinsel and the trappings, frequently comes a lot of mess and a lot of stress. But, it doesn’t have to. Follow these tips to get your home holiday ready before silver bells ring and grandma comes around the mountain.
Get Holiday Ready by Giving Back
Honest question, do you have too much stuff already? Take a look around and, if you’re like millions of other people, the answer is probably yes. Now, before the holidays, is the time to fix that. Go through your closets, your dressers, the basement or the attic, and give a critical eye to all the knick knacks you may have lying around. There absolutely is stuff you don’t need, never use, or which doesn’t fit.
Now, bale up all the stuff you have that’s still good but just cluttering up your space and donate it. Doing so now rather than after the holidays gives you several advantages. First up, you know more stuff is coming at you. This will give you a place to put it. Second, getting your donations in before the holiday makes it easier for thrifty people to get their gifts before the holidays. Lastly, it just makes all the following steps way, way easier.
Get High-Traffic Areas Holiday Ready First
Although cleaning and decluttering the entire house might be optimal, for those of us with limited time, it’s best to prioritize. This is as easy as giving areas of your home attention proportional to the amount of time guests will spend in them. Primarily, that will most likely mean your family room is priority 1 and bathrooms priority 2. Take the time to clean these areas more than you normally would. Trust me, it’s way better than having your in-laws find dirty kid’s socks crammed in the couch cushions.
Most family room areas will involve fairly simple (but thorough) cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. Bathrooms are where you will want to focus true sanitizing efforts with a high-quality cleaning product you trust.
Take the time to get the highest traffic areas cleaned from floor to ceiling and everything in between. If cleaning starts to get in the way of you enjoying your holiday, however, take a step back. Remember that it’s the time together that matters most. If you want sparkling-clean perfection for your holiday but don’t want the stress, you can always call us.
Keep Secondary Areas Tidy and Have a Holiday Plan
After family rooms and bathrooms, focus on the entryway of your home–inside and out. Entryways can become cluttered very quickly if you have a lot of guests, so make sure there’s a designated place for shoes and coats if you live in a cold climate.
Then, form your holiday plan. Really, this means evaluate your guest list. Little kids coming? Lock up your fragile keepsakes. Know someone who hits the nog hard every year? Maybe have a sleeping area set up. Have guests with mobility challenges? Make doubly sure floors stay clear and that there are easy pathways to take through the house past stacks of presents and decorations.
Speaking of decorations, do yourself a favor and stop chasing Pinterest boards. Keeping your decor simple, meaningful, and minimal will make just as big an impact as decking your house out like you’re Mrs. Claus herself.
Most importantly: breathe in, breathe out. This is a time for joy. For family and friends that are like family. Good luck and, from all of us… truly… happy holidays.
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