So. You all ready for the winter holidays? Hanukkah? Christmas? Kwanzaa?
If yes, then feel free to smile happily to your very organized self. If not, then read on.
There are several facets of holiday preparation, including (but not limited to)
- Housecleaning/decoration
- Gifts
- Food
- Traditions
If you’re hosting family and friends, having a clean and decorated place to entertain makes for a lower-stress day. As I see it, you can have an action plan in place beginning now, or you can put it off until later. But then that might not be a lower-stress experience. 
For the purposes of this post, I am assuming basic cleaning and decoration; home renovation is not part of the plan. (So writes the blogger who wants to tile and carpet her basement in the next 4-5 weeks. I thought I should be transparent about the insanity that is my existence in advance.)
So. On to cleaning and holiday prep resources. Organized Christmas has an annual Holiday Grand Plan. This runs from August to December, but it is possible to step in now and do an abbreviated version. FlyLady has a free down-loadable Holiday Control Journal that covers all of the holiday prep areas listed above and more.
Clutter Diet is another great site that blends DIY organizing with professional guidance. There is a subscription fee, but the plan is a structured and low-stress way to get your house cleaned up and organized. It’s cheaper than hiring a professional organizer and you still get professional help.
Of course, you can always hire a local professional as well. This is a more costly option, with rates ranging from $25US per hour and up. However, the personalized attention is well worth the cost and a pro will tailor solutions to your personality, your home, and your needs. On top of that, you can’t beat the accountability factor. There’s nothing like knowing the pro is going to come back and inquire about your progress to help keep you motivated and working.
This is at best a partial list of solutions for getting the home cleaned and ready for holiday festivities. What is your favorite resource on this topic? Is your home ready for the holidays? If not, what do you need to work on?
And what are some good decorating resources? Got any fun things you can make with kids or are kid-friendly in terms of holiday decor? I have a handle on house cleaning, but decorating…not so successful.
by AmyL
Photo graciously provided by EJP Photo, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
3 responses so far ↓
How’s Your Holiday Planning Coming Along? - Earnest Parenting // Oct 14, 2008 at 10:04 pm
[…] getting ready for the holidays over at […]
STL Mom // Oct 15, 2008 at 4:39 pm
We’ve just started decorating for Halloween - Christmas seems far away!
In my opinion, less is more as far as holiday decorating goes. We moved this year, and I limited our Christmas decorations to 4 boxes, plus the fake tree that I was talked into two years ago (such a big box!). Two boxes of tree decorations, one box mostly of lights, and one box of holiday books and miscellaneous decor. We decorate just enough to make the holiday time special, but we can clean it all up in one day (usually New Year’s Day).
Each year, I have the kids do one decorating project, i.e. a ribbon chain or brown paper gingerbread men or bead ornaments. One per year. I think this is fun, without being overwhelming. Some of these things can be stored and brought out the next year. If we did several things each year, I would soon be overwhelmed. We also do one holiday-themed event each year, i.e. either the holiday train show at the botanical garden or the park with holiday lights. Again, a limited number of events helps make it seem like a tradition without committing to too many things.
Maybe I’m a Scrooge, but for me the holidays are all about managing expectations and not getting too stressed out. I want the holidays to be fun and special. I don’t want to be screaming at my kids because we haven’t finished some project. I remember my mom rearranging the tree ornaments because my brother and I hadn’t placed them “properly” and I’ve sworn never to do that. My tree might look a little lopsided, but we have a lot of fun decorating it.
I love Flylady’s Holiday Control Journal. Planning ahead means a lot less stress!
Holiday Prep: Gifts | GNMParents // Oct 20, 2008 at 12:00 pm
[…] Last week we talked about getting the house ready for the holidays. Hopefully you’ve gotten a start on that. I started thinking about it. That […]
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