Get In Order for Christmas, Part 5

Part 5, Decorating

Our Little Tree

I’m sure most of you have started, if not completed your holiday decorating. I’m finishing up today. For the first time in many years, we purchased our tree from a store rather than cutting it down fresh . I’m hoping for more than sticks when we celebrate with one side of the family early in the year!

When is the best time to put up and then take down the Christmas tree? When I pulled out my Christmas boxes, I was joyed to find a long lost, ultra (not!) spiritual book about Christmas celebrations that gave me a clue. In her book, A Purse-Driven Christmas (So, What did you get me?), author, comedian and singer, Anita Renfroe, writes:

“We can’t find any guidance from the official etiquette dames regarding the question of the right time to remove the Christmas decorations. When is the optimum time to take them down? I have seen (only in movies) that there are some people who don’t even put their trees up until Christmas Eve. Who are these people? Don’t they know that the joy of having a tree is its being up at least a couple of weeks prior so they can enjoy the lights and watch the presents and pine needles stack up around the bottom? These are the same people who take the tree down the day after Christmas. They obviously don’t do quite as much decorating as we do, because if we waited until Christmas to do all that we do and then took it down immediately afterward, we would miss Christmas altogether. I believe that these people are secretly Christmas haters and just want to have the least amount of Christmas environment allowable by law. Their mantra is, ‘It’s not Christmas yet, not yet, not yet, not yet –now it is — great, it’s over already — get the stuff outta hear!’”

It’s a funny, lighthearted read, described as “The happiest accessory for the holiday season”!

For those of you that haven’t started your decorating yet, most of the us who are in the midst of it, and the few who actually wait until Christmas Eve, keep these tips in mind.

• If you do a lot of decorating, don’t try to get it done in a day (OK, this one doesn’t apply to the Christmas Eve folks!)

• Make a schedule, delegate and work as a family

• Make it a part of your celebration and remember to have joy in the journey

• Before you begin pulling out the holiday decorations, be sure the house is clean and straight

As you pull out your holiday decorations

• Take the opportunity to purge any items you no longer use or love

• Pack up your regular season decorating accessories into your holiday boxes (it will save you from searching for them after Christmas!)

Happy Decorating!

Have a Blessed and Organized Holiday!

Cheryl

The Great Exchange

Welcoming in Spring and Summer 

Do you find yourself rooting through back closets for suntan lotion and baseball caps, or through your storage shed for lawn chairs and charcoal, or maybe through your bottom drawers for shorts and t-shirts?

Make life easy on yourself and take an afternoon to “Do the Great Exchange”. It is the time of year to pack away the fall and winter clothes and stuff and unearth your spring and summer apparel and gear.

Begin with your clothes. While you’re at it, take a few extra minutes to sort and purge before you pack your fall and winter clothes away.

Do you remember the old 80/20 rule? It’s true! We do tend to wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. As you take the time to sort and purge you’re off season clothes, make it your goal to purge a higher percentage of your clothing so that you LOVE and KEEP what you will actually wear. Don’t you love it when you’re on vacation and you have a suitcase filled with all of your favorite clothes? It simplifies both your choices and your laundry.

If you’re having a difficult time figuring out if you should keep a specific item of clothing, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the item in good condition? Does it have stains or tears or is it too worn? Can it (or will it) be mended? Is it still in style?

• Do I love it, or even like it? Does it make me feel great to wear it?
• When was the last time I wore this? If you didn’t wear it last season, you probably won’t wear during the next season!
• How many do I currently own of this type of item? How many do I realistically wear or need?
• Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current size to keep it?

Now that you have determined which fall and winter clothes you will be holding on to, it’s time to consider where to store them. If space allows, simply move the off season clothing to the back of the closet, bringing the spring and summer clothes to the front of the closet. Then, rotate them back as the season’s change. Alternatively, you can move your off season clothes from your closet to a spare closet. If you don’t have room within a closet, consider purchasing a freestanding closet to store in your finished basement, finished attic or guestroom. Finally, you can store your off season clothes in a bin labeled with your name and “Fall/Winter Clothes”.

Before storing away off-season clothes, take these 3 simple steps to protect them: Clean, Contain, and Repel.

• Clean – Moths and carpet beetles are the primary pests that can cause damage, and they are attracted to natural fibers like wool and cotton. They also feed on organic stains. Always clean clothes before storing them away.
• Contain – in a clean, dark and dry location, such as a closet, freestanding closet, storage box or bin to deter pests
• Repel – Use all natural cedar to repel pests

It’s also the perfect time to take note of any clothing needs for next fall and winter and take advantage of those last winter clearance sales.

Next, switch out the snow suits, gloves and hats for the beach towels, goggles, and suntan lotions. Find a home for these items near the front door, where you will be coming and going all spring and summer.

Clean off the snow boards, skis, and sleds and store them away for the summer, while pulling out the volleyball nets, croquet and badminton set, lawn chairs, and charcoal.

The rain IS  going to stop! And you will be ready to enjoy the season.

Happy (and organized!) Spring.