Is Your Home Ready for Christmas Decorations?
Christmas is sneaking up on us quickly and one of the first things most of us do is decorate.
My family just finished cleaning out the home of a hoarder and besides oodles of clothing, trinkets of all types, and tons of household items, we kept finding Christmas decorations. I just kept repeating that there was no way they could have ever enjoyed the decorations. What did they do? Layer them on top of everything else lying around the house? I’m not sure how that works but what I do know is if I am going to put decorations around my home, I’m surely going to make sure they create joy and not more stress.
Hoarder House Holiday
This is just a teeny little portion of the decorations we pitched.
The first thing I suggest before decorating for Christmas is to give your home a good cleaning. I like to decorate the weekend of Thanksgiving but whenever you choose to decorate, do your cleaning the week before.
1. Each person picks up his/her own belongings and puts them where they go. Don’t forget surfaces that collect mail and paperwork. Sometimes we get so used to seeing it cluttering our areas that we don’t even notice it’s there. Flip through quickly and pitch or recycle everything you can. Put the rest in a basket until you have time to take care of it.
2. Go around and take turns having each person in your household select a job. Go around a second or third time if needed. The list might include:
Sweeping
Mopping
Cleaning toilets
Cleaning sinks
Dusting or wiping down furniture
Doing dishes
Maybe even washing windows inside and out (a Norwax cloth makes this super easy!)
Remember not to look for perfection, but completion.
Next, if you have a lot of decor around your home on a regular basis, you may want to take some of it down in order to make room for your Christmas decorations. Just swap it out and put it in the Christmas storage area for the season.
Now is a great time to go through toys with any young ones. Remind them they may have a better chance of getting new ones if they make room by getting rid of some of the old ones. Toss any broken toys and donate or sell any that are in good condition.
Won’t it be so fun to decorate now that everything is clean? Pick your day, make your favorite hot beverage, light a candle, and turn on your favorite Christmas tunes. Get out your decorations but remember - you do not have to use them all! Select the ones that make you smile, the ones you love, and the ones that make your Christmas season more meaningful. Do not be afraid to get rid of those decorations that do not do these three things. Maybe you will brighten someone else’s Christmas by donating them. I have already owned decorations that I really liked but had no good place to display them. It feels better to give them away than to stuff them someplace that doesn’t feel right.
Maple Cream Coffee
3 cups coffee
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon half and half
Something I do so that my home does not feel the Christmas clutter is to pick one area in a room to make a display. I used to deposit Christmas items here and there around the room but realized it made the room feel full instead of festive. Now I have one focal area with a comfy chair facing it just in case I get a minute to relax on those December evenings.
If you are like me there have been many years that the “most wonderful time of the year” came and went and it wasn’t until January that I finally took time to enjoy the calm that Christmas is supposed to be. By starting with a plan before decorating day arrives, it will give you a head start to enjoy each part of the season. Happy decorating!
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Matthew 2:10