Start your #holiday #cleaning early, Forbes advises. #Declutter things that have a tendency to collect in places they don’t belong, such as laundry, mail and other objects. Tackle a room at a time, starting with the ones that will get the most use: the dining room, living room and kitchen. The entryway is important to maintaining cleanliness, so designate a space for guests’ shoes and coats, including a boot tray or doormat for mucked-up footwear. Once you’ve completed the #cleaning to your satisfaction, set the mood by mulling a hot beverage or lighting a scented candle. Turn on the holiday tunes and enjoy the season!
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Deep-Clean or Quick-Clean for the Holidays
Hosting for the #holidays? You’ll probably need to #tidy up before friends and family arrive. Better Homes & Gardens offers tips for a seven-day, comprehensive, preholiday deep-clean; targeted, one-hour spruce-ups; and emergency triage for holiday stains. If you only have an hour or two before your guests arrive, focus on the bathrooms they will use, as well as the entryway, living room and kitchen. “Carry a laundry basket throughout the house, picking up #clutter as you go. Once filled, put everything in its place or hide the basket.” Revisit the basket after the holidays to see what you might #donate to ClothingDonations.org.
The Christmas Countdown Begins
At the time of this posting, there are just 27 days — less than a month — until #Christmas. If you celebrate #Kwanzaa, you get an extra day to prepare, but those celebrating #Hanukkah will need to be ready just nine days.
You may view the #holidays as the most wonderful time of the year, but with that wonder comes a lot of additional expectations and stress. You need to get gifts for the family, go to the office party, plan a big family feast, send cards, bake cookies — and time is running out!
Take a moment to collect yourself. “You can only do so much,” says The Mayo Clinic. “Be realistic with how much you can handle this season. Forget about perfection, and relax and enjoy the company surrounding you.”
Start with a plan. Get the calendar out and write down the most important events and deadlines. Assign days to complete specific tasks such as shopping, baking, cleaning and decorating, but be flexible — things can and will get delayed.
One set of important dates to remember is the shipping deadline for holiday gifts. For merchandise shipped via standard ground services with FedEx, the deadline is Dec. 15, and at UPS and USPS, it’s Dec. 16. Two-day shipping should get the goods to you in time if ordered by Dec. 20.
Keep up on healthy habits, too, so you don’t sacrifice yourself in service to the season. “If you already have a training or exercise routine, don’t let the holiday season throw you off,” says Calendar.com. “Exercise and physical activity can help clear your mind.”
Set expectations that are manageable, and be clear about them with family members and guests. Don’t set yourself up to make a big sit-down feast if you don’t have the bandwidth, for example — you can have a potluck or something even more casual.
Say no when you need to do so, and take time for your own relax-and-recharge sessions, whatever form they may take. Whatever you can manage during the season should be good enough. The clock may be ticking, but it’s your holiday, too.
Have a safe, happy and stress-free season!
Shopping Black Friday and Beyond
Black Friday is finally here! But don’t think this the only time you can save on #holiday #gifts — the day is only the start of Cyber Week and other retailer promotions. Good Housekeeping is tracking some of the week’s best deals, and CNET offers a shopping widget you can use with your internet browser to make sure you get the best price on millions of items. Don’t forget to shop local on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season, either — shopping local businesses is typically more sustainable and ecofriendly than shipping a gift thousands of miles to your door. #BlackFriday2023
Shop the Thrifts on Black Friday
Happy Thanksgiving! If you plan to go out shopping on Black Friday, don’t forget to check out the local #thrift stores, many of which are supplied by generous donations to ClothingDonations.org. If you have qualms about #giving #secondhand goods, remember that most thrift stores are stocked with lots of clean, lightly used and one-of-a-kind clothing items and housewares, as well as hard-to-find books, games, furniture and other goods. Taking a cue from the big retailers, many thrift stores have their own Black Friday promotions, so you can get even better discounts on used goods and pay up to 90% less on #gifts. #BlackFriday2023