Five Home Organization Necessities for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

The holiday season is meant to be spent in the company of friends and family, enjoying delicious food, gift giving, and holiday cheer. But all too often, the holidays can end up becoming a major stress-fest.

In fact, SWNS Digital explains that, due to the current global circumstances, more than 50% of Americans are predicting that this holiday season will be a lot more chaotic than it typically is. Moreover, one in 10 adults is planning to avoid the holidays altogether to sidestep stress.

However, if you plan on participating in the holidays, you can avoid the headache by organizing your home ahead of time. These holiday home organization essentials include:

• Keeping track of holiday to-dos with a list
• Taking stock of what you already own
• Decluttering and organizing your household
• Having a few holiday decorating hacks up your sleeve
• Getting a jumpstart on post-holiday cleanup

If you’re interested in getting your home organized for the holidays, keep reading to find out about these five genius holiday home organization essentials.

You probably have a ton on your plate this holiday season. From buying numerous gifts to baking up a storm in the kitchen, you’ll need to stay on top of all of your holiday to-dos in order to get stuff done.

A thorough list will help you navigate through the chaos of what needs to get accomplished. Consider hanging a white board in your home where you can easily see your list everyday, and cross items off as they get completed.

Some critical holiday lists you should make can include:

• A gift list
• A holiday recipe list
• A holiday package and card mailing list
• A holiday decorating list
• A post-holiday clean-up list

If you don’t want to take up the wall space with a white board, consider investing in a planner to keep all of your holiday lists in one central and convenient location. You can keep this planner in your home office for easy reference.

One of the best ways to save time and money is to take stock of everything that you already own. Before you head out to the grocery store to pick up yet another jar of cranberry sauce, take a thorough look inside your kitchen cabinets and fridge.

Specifically, you should be checking:

• Your pantry, freezer, and fridge to see what ingredients you already have to prepare your holiday menu with
• Your attic or basement for leftover gift bags, cards, and wrapping paper
• Old holiday décor to see what you can reuse

Make an inventory checklist of everything you already own. This way, when you head out to the store, you can avoid doubling up on items you already have.

Are you planning on hosting Thanksgiving this year? Have friends or relatives staying the night? If so, it’s important to get your home decluttered and organized for your company.

If the thought of home organization during the holiday season scares you, don’t fret! There are some simple steps you can take in order to thoroughly organize your home without getting overwhelmed.

Firstly, break it down. Don’t try to tackle your entire home in one day. Instead, concentrate on decluttering and organizing one room of your home one day at a time.

Secondly, concentrate on cleaning and organizing high-traffic areas, including your kitchen, living room, and entry way.

If you have guests staying over, be sure to declutter and organize your spare bedroom.

For rooms that nobody will see, you can skip those entirely.

One of the most exciting aspects of the holidays can also be the most stressful. Sure, you want to light up your home for the holidays, but when and how should you do it to save yourself time and energy?

The best time to decorate your home is on a weekend when you can dedicate a day or two to putting up decorations without interruption. It also helps to establish a holiday decorating routine. For instance, you may want to string up outside holiday lights first, and then focus on your house’s interior.

It’s also critical to stay organized during the entire process. Don’t just throw all of your holiday decorations into storage boxes and toss them in the corner of your attic.  Have them labeled, neatly arranged, and ready to go once you’re ready to break down your holiday decorating scheme.

One of the most overwhelming parts of the holiday season is when it finally comes to an end. Once all of the presents have been opened, all of your guests have left, and your house is empty again, the time for post-holiday cleanup begins.

Having a plan of action ahead of time can save you from stress. As mentioned previously, having your holiday decoration storage boxes labeled and organized can keep you from trying to find the right box for the right ornament.

Other things you can do to get a jumpstart on post-holiday cleaning include:

• Having plenty of storage containers handy to give leftover food to your guests before they leave
• Setting aside a weekend to take down all of your holiday decorations
• Recycling or reusing old wrapping paper, gift bags, and ribbon
• Getting the whole family in on the action

The holidays can be a joyous time, as well as a stressful occasion. In order to avoid the anxiety, it’s important to take some steps to organize your home and your time prior to the arrival of the holiday season.

By creating a pre-holiday to-do list, taking a thorough inventory of everything you already own, setting aside time to decorate, decluttering and organizing your household before your guests arrive, and getting a head start on post-holiday cleaning, you can get through the holidays with ease.

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