Keeping the Holidays Happy, Organized, and Chaos Free
As the holidays approach, the stress slowly creeps in and eventually, we are in the midst of complete holiday chaos! We are going to help you get through the holidays with our little secrets to a chaos free holiday!
As the holidays approach, the stress slowly creeps in and eventually, we are in the midst of complete holiday chaos! We are going to help you get through the holidays with our little secrets to a chaos free holiday!
Today’s secret: Decorating
Decorating Zones
The key to less stress decorating is to zone your decor. Here are the zones I use in my house:
Outdoor
Foyer or entry
Mantle
Tree
Etc. -living room throw pillows, bedroom decor, bourbon bar (Or is this just me?), or any other areas needed.
Instead of bringing all the decor down at one time, bring down what’s needed for 1 zone only. The key to making this easy is....properly labeled storage bins.
Storage Bins and Labels
It is essential to your organizing that you have plastic bins that are properly labeled in your attic. Each holiday should have a designated spot for all of the bins needed so there is no confusion. Not only should the labels have your decorating zones on them, but they should be labeled with every single thing inside. Removable labels are best because sharpie is permanent, and your items may not be.
Here’s an example of how we label our bins.
These are the label maker and storage bins we use, but there are many great options out there whatever your budget may be!
Side Note: We typically prefer clear storage bins, but we make an exception for these as long as they’re properly labeled.
Simple and easy tips!
Zone your decorating
Contain your zones
Label, label, label
Utilizing Hanging Racks to Store Holiday Decor
It is finally that time of year… Fall! The weather is cooling down, leaves are falling, and football season is in full swing. Around the beginning of October is when many of us will begin to decorate for Fall and Halloween and we have a great tip on how to store all of your holiday decor…
It is finally that time of year… Fall! The weather is cooling down, leaves are falling, and football season is in full swing. Around the beginning of October is when many of us will begin to decorate for Fall and Halloween and we have a great tip on how to store all of your holiday decor…
Ever thought about putting a hanging rack in your attic?
Whhhhaaaattttt?
Yes! These racks are for much more than hanging extra clothes; they are great for storing your holiday décor as well!
· Wreaths
· Christmas garland
· Costumes (in garment bags)
· Skeletons, ghosts or other long decor
· Holiday lights (wrapped around hangers)
· Out of season clothing
What other ideas can you come up with? We’d love to hear from you!
There are many different types of hanging racks to choose from in all price ranges. Here are a few of our favorites.
Need help getting your attic organized for this holiday season? Give us a call!
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5 Tips to Ease the Pain of Cleaning Up After the Holidays
Hoping your holiday was fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s clean up time! Here are 5 quick tips to help ease the pain of the clean up process.
Happy New Year my organizing friends! Hoping your holiday was fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s clean up time! Here are 5 quick tips to help ease the pain of the clean up process.
5 quick tips to help organize your holiday clean up.
Use clear bins if you can. Being able to see what’s in the bin is very helpful when taking items out next year.
2. Label, label, label! Label each bin with every item inside the bin. This seems tedious but you will be thankful next year. You can use a label maker or use the original label tape….masking tape and a sharpie! If you zone decorate like I do, don’t forget to add the zone label.
3. Using an extension cord reel or any type of cord organizer will help keep your lights from being a tangled mess. Label the lights so you know right where they go next year.
4. Label wreaths and garland with the location where they will be used. I use garland in 3 different spots and each garland is a different length. Knowing where the garland belongs saves us time and frustration.
5. Make sure to take the batteries out of anything being stored.
Once again, have a Happy New Year and happy organizing!
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The Magic of a Travel Christmas Tree
There are great benefits to the travel tree. They represent memories that you can share for generations. Here’s the story behind how we started our travel tree and why it means so much to us and our family!
It was a magical wedding weekend in Medora, North Dakota 28 years ago. I was with my boyfriend, now husband, at the time and was more than thrilled to be invited to his sister and future brother-in-law's wedding. They were married in an amphitheater with Elk running in the hills behind them. The September weather was cool during the day but really cold at night for this Southern Louisiana girl! I didn't mind. I was in love and so excited to be part of something really special as Jill and Tom got married. At the end of the wedding, the family asked me to join them for photos. We weren't engaged. We had only been dating 9 months. I knew right then and there I was making a choice to be a part of his amazing life. It was a moment I wanted to remember but how? Surely not with a t-shirt that would eventually get worn out. What about a travel spoon? I'm not one to like clutter so the thought of spoons everywhere made my head spin. It was then I saw it. The store that would make such a difference in my life. The Christmas Store! I knew right then I wanted to collect ornaments from the places I travel as a way to remember them. My first travel tree ornament was a cowboy holding a Medora sign made out of dough.
A travel tree was not quite what I had in mind when I bought that ornament but as the years passed by, the kids came and we traveled to more and more places....well, the travel ornaments started to dominate the tree. The kids, who hated decorating for the holidays, actually helped to decorate this tree because they loved seeing the various ornaments and chatting about the memories. This time was precious in the midst of holiday chaos! Even today as the kids are grown, they enjoy looking at the travel tree ornaments and telling their favorite stories of each trip we took.
There are great benefits to the travel tree. Ornaments are small and easy to store. They don't take up much room in your suitcase either. They represent memories that you can share for generations. You can't shrink or outgrow an ornament! And best of all, since you only see them once a year, you get a lot of joy seeing them even if you've had them for 28 years! Opening the box of travel tree ornaments is like opening the door to an old friend.
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Finding Peace in the Midst of Holiday Chaos
5:30am is when I found my kids standing next to my bed rubbing the sleep from their little eyes. I knew that once my feet hit the floor, the day’s busyness would begin. Add the holiday stressfulness and it would send me straight in to feeling overwhelmed. I knew I had to do something different to survive because the holidays were not enjoyable for this tired, working mom. Here are 5 changes I made that helped me get back to the joy of the season!
5:30am is when I found my kids standing next to my bed rubbing the sleep from their little eyes. I knew I was supposed to be appreciating these moments as one day they would be off and on their own and I would miss it but most days, I would just wish they would sleep in for 30 more minutes because I was so tired. I knew that once my feet hit the floor, the day’s busyness would begin. Add the holiday stressfulness and it would send me straight in to feeling overwhelmed. I knew I had to do something different to survive because the holidays were not enjoyable for this tired, working mom.
Here are 5 changes I made that helped me get back to the joy of the season!
Zone decorating
I stopped pulling everything out the attic at one time and expecting everyone to participate in the “fun.” I organized my decorations into zones and only brought 1 or 2 boxes down a day that I could handle myself.
2. Family calendar
I started using the Cozi app for a family calendar and grocery list so that my husband (and eventually my children when they got phones) could see all events, add groceries to the list and they even had a place where the Christmas wish lists could be made. My family was responsible for adding their own events. My rule was “if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.” It put a lot of the responsibilities on their plate. I didn’t have to do it all!
3. Minimize time wasters
No matter how tired I was at night after kids’ soccer practice and late dinners, I made sure our evening routines were done before we went to bed. Keys, purse, backpacks, lunches were ready to go. Clothes were out the night before eliminating the “What am I going to wear?” time sucking thought process. I didn’t allow myself to get on social media because I knew it was a rabbit hole that I may not come out of until midnight. I became very picky about where I spent my time. I learned to say no because I also learned that time is precious.
4. Minimize the number of toys children have access to
Let’s be honest, kids will not clean up after themselves unless you make them. I don’t care how organized your playroom is, they hate cleaning up and just won’t do it on their own. When toys were left out, I quickly apologized to my child for trusting them with a toy that they obviously were too young to handle because it wasn’t cleaned up and put away. (A technique I learned from the book Love and Logic-best parenting book out there in my opinion.) That toy was put on a high shelf, and they quickly realized the consequences of not putting away their things.
5. Learn to be still
This is a really hard one for me because I am an Enneagram 7-the adventurer! I don’t do still! But I did. I carved out time for the kids and I to have hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies 1 or 2 times a week. I made plans for dad to take the kids to do things so I could get presents bought and wrapped. (The holiday season also coincides with hunting season so we Southern hunting wives have a whole different holiday battle happening!) I delegated the online Christmas shopping to be done by my husband (yes, I sent him the list!) I also carved in time that I could catch my breath with a walk, a bath, or an activity that was sans kids. It’s not selfish, it’s self-care.
Being organized was extremely helpful overall because it allowed my family to know where groceries went when they came inside. They knew where items coming out of the dishwasher went in the cabinet or drawer. With everything having a home, the piles on the counter could be delegated and put away by each member of our family. It wasn’t all on my shoulders. Being organized helped me find peace in the holiday. I hope these tips help you find some too.
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