Christmas Day has come and gone and now all we’ve got is a house full of clutter. We’ve got to deal with not only the decorations, wrapping supplies and all the new gifts the family has received, but all the old stuff we had before December 25th. So where do we start to get our homes back to something that will pass as organized? These four steps can help with your post-holiday cleanup.
- One in, one out - Consider this the golden rule of organizing after the holidays. For every gift - anything from toys to clothing - that comes in, you donate one in good condition. And for everything that isn’t in good shape anymore? It’s time to toss it.
- Rotation, rotation, rotation - Ever notice how some kids play with the boxes their toys came in instead of the toys themselves? It may be because they get overwhelmed by the pile of new stuff in their lives. So try leaving out a few toys at a time and putting the rest away. Then every month or so, trade out something they’ve been playing with for a new Christmas gift and it’ll be like Christmas all year long.
- Don’t ditch the Christmas cards - As you rush to clean up, don’t throw out the cards you’ve gotten this year. Save them until next holiday season and use them for gift tags. Just cut around the part you don’t need and use the pretty part for next year’s gifts.
- When you pack stuff away, keep next year in mind - Take note of the decorations you didn't use this year and the ones that were hard to find a good place for. Consider which ones it might be time to part with and get rid of them now, instead of putting them away to deal with next December.
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