There are some things we all need to do to get ready for Christmas and not all of them are fun. Cleaning and organizing may not be your ideas of holiday cheer, but you will feel better once this stuff is out of the way. You know you will need extra space once all those Christmas presents are open, so you might as well get started making room now.
I know. I don’t feel like doing it either, but I don’t want to deal with the chaos later. With four kids, and all their gifts, our living room can end up looking like a toy store blew up. I try to keep a few large boxes around from gifts or packages we received, and each child places her things inside the box until we decide where they should be kept in each room. Then we get all the wrapping paper and torn boxes cleaned up so we can see the living room floor.
We move the boxes into the kids’ rooms and find places for everything. These days the big kids do their own thing, but I still have to help them get organized in advance. Right now, I have several bags and boxes sitting in my living room, which will soon be on their way to the local charity drop box.
That’s the first step, getting rid of stuff you and your family no longer need. Take those coats out of the closet that nobody wears. Somebody else can use them and they take up a lot of room. Go through the clothes next and then the “stuff.” Books, games, toys… if your kids haven’t played with them in the last 3-6 months, consider donating them to charity. If they are special, find another location (I have a Battleship game that I’ve had since I was little).
This is all basic stuff, but sometimes we need a little reminder or a little push to get started. I know I do. So, I’m here to push you -and myself- to get busy.
*Check back later for handy organization tips.
Other holiday stuff:
Do Holidays Make you Homesick?
After the Holiday: Craft Clean Up