#Holiday decorations are the first things you’ll want to sort and store when the calendar flips to the new year, says Organized Interiors. #Declutter any decorations that didn’t get used, tossing the broken and compromised ones and #donating those you just don’t like. And while you might feel sentimental about the holiday cards you received this year, there’s no reason to save them beyond the end of January. Take note of any updated address information on your phone or in a computer file and take a picture of the card if you want to preserve a particular memory. The rest can go into the recycling bin. #OrganizedNewYear
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Organize So That Everything Has Its Space
Think creatively to keep your home #organized in the new year, Good Housekeeping says. It offers 100 ways to sort out the #stuff in your small spaces such as #drawers and #closets in order to help you store everything more reliably. Use bins to compartmentalize and #organize drawers, install hooks and shelves to take advantage of vertical space, and designate a “drop zone” where everything can be sorted out as it enters the home. When your stuff has a place to be, it’s less likely to get scattered where it doesn’t belong and create #clutter — and you’ll be able to find whatever it is easily when you need it. #OrganizedNewYear
Make Every Day Boxing Day
Happy Boxing Day! British custom has it that the first weekday after Christmas is the day to acknowledge those rendering services throughout the year with gifts or gratuities. Servants and tradesmen have accepted “Christmas boxes” of gifts, cash bonuses, leftovers and secondhand items since medieval times, House Beautiful says.
Today, the United Kingdom and former colonies such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand celebrate Boxing Day as a shopping holiday, similar to Black Friday or a post-holiday clearance sale in the United States.
We’ve likely done all of the shopping we need to do for a while, and more shopping just means more #stuff to put away — or more #clutter. So let’s return to the “#giving” definition of Boxing Day and make it an everyday tradition from now through the new year.
It’s a great holiday for #minimalists, because it calls upon those celebrating to #give things away. Assuming it’s in good working order, the stuff you no longer use — wrong-sized clothes, extra kitchen and dinnerware, appliances, books, small furniture and so on — may have a second useful life in someone else’s hands.
That’s where ClothingDonations.org can help. Our drivers will pick up those extra things and resell them to #thrift stores to fund an array of programs that the nation’s #veterans rely upon. It’s a generous, safe and convenient way to observe the Boxing Day tradition of acknowledging others’ service.
You don’t have to limit yourself to a single box, of course. ClothingDonations.org will #pick up as many boxes and bags of #donations as you want to give. And if you’re still in the process of household #decluttering, you can schedule a #donation to match your progress as often as you gather a few boxes of stuff to #give away.
As the #holidays wind down, we hope you can make Boxing Day an everyday tradition — one that recognizes service and sacrifice while helping #declutter and #streamline your home life. Get started today, and make a new habit of observing Boxing Day as early and often as you want while getting organized for the new year. #BoxingDay
Try Buffet Style for Your Holiday Party
#Holiday parties benefit from a buffet, The Shop Edit says. Not only does it allow guests to get up and move around, you can offer customizable, do-it-yourself dinner selections such as a baked potato bar, leaving meal assembly up to guests and their tastes. Once dinner is cleared, you can set up a selection of desserts and have guests repeat the process until they are sated. Drinks can be batched, too, to make them no-fuss and self-service. Add disposable dinnerware, and cleanup will practically take care of itself — but you should enlist friends and family in the effort so that you can participate in the holiday festivities. #LastMinuteHolidayTips
Clean Up Before Christmas
#Holiday entertaining should start with a #clean house. #Declutter and clean any areas of the house that need it or will see heavy duty in the days ahead, including bathroom, kitchen and floors. Then, keep the menu simple. “You don’t need every side dish or appetizer in the world,” Bread Booze Bacon says. “Choose options that pair well with the wine, cocktails or beverage you’re planning to serve and stick to the basics. If you want more options, ask your guests to bring a specific course. You can worry about cooking a little less, and nine times out of 10, they’re happy to bring something in lieu of a hostess gift.” #LastMinuteHolidayTips