Holiday Organizing Tips
Christmas was always my favorite holiday. I loved the lights, the cheer, the music. I really loved getting presents. I loved giving presents. Then I had kids. And then I discovered, after too many years of not being able to slow down and enjoy the season, the job of Santa Mom is probably the most draining of all the hats a mom can wear. Can we all agree on something? The Santa Claus that teaches materialism was a patriarchal invention. It’s another job for mom. Mom has to lie to her children and then continue to surprise and please them with gifts, spending money her family doesn’t have, explaining why Santa gives some kids better presents than others, blah, blah, blah. It’s exhausting. New moms, future moms, dads, don’t do Santa. It’s no fun. It’s still a fun story to tell, and you can all pretend that Santa might come bring gits, and that’s still fun. It doesn’t ruin any of the magic. Santa doesn’t have to be an ornate, blatant lie. That’s all. I’ll digress on that issue because this is a blog for holiday tips! Well, I suppose that is one big tip - no Santa. Christmas will be much more enjoyable. Trust me.
Santa or no Santa, you will still probably acquire a lot of new things to fit into your home, including gifts and decor. Before all this starts to happen, make a little bit of space! If your children are old enough to understand, teach them the phrase, “Out with the old, in with the new!” This is a valuable life lesson, and I guarantee it is one of the biggest gifts you can share with your children. Make space for the new things they want in their life. Make space for new energy. Designate a day, November or very early December, and do a little bit of decluttering. Grab a box or basket, and fill it up to donate to your favorite charity or Buy Nothing group.
It’s also a great time to get your holiday decor decluttered. Think about what sounds easier for you. Would it be easier to declutter your boxes of decor as you pull them out to decorate or when you are putting decorations back in storage? Either option works, just be mindful about what will work for you, and make a plan to declutter.
And one more tip, slowing down, practicing yoga, meditating, it’s really hard to make space for these things, but they definitely help me find my holiday cheer again. It doesn’t have to be hard or be an hour long class to count. Even one minute of being present or practicing gratitude for the abundance of life I do have makes all the struggles of life worth living.
If you need help decluttering your home or you holiday decor, we can help you! Contact us at Enlightened Living ATX, and we can provide coaching or hands-on assistance in the Austin area. We are offering a holiday discount for any jobs booked in December or January with $15 off our normal hourly rate of $65. (So $50 per hour!) We can help you find your holiday cheer!
