{"id":4222,"date":"2017-12-07T09:29:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T14:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.organizedinteriors.com\/blog\/?p=4222"},"modified":"2019-10-25T23:47:35","modified_gmt":"2019-10-26T03:47:35","slug":"holiday-home-organization-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.organizedinteriors.com\/blog\/holiday-home-organization-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Holiday Home Organization Tips to Ease Your December Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

The end of the year is a stress-causing time for many. While the holiday season is fun and gives us the chance to spend time with family and friends, there are a lot of extra demands on our time.<\/p>\n

Those demands can overwhelm you if you\u2019re not careful. With some smart planning, however, you can avoid the added stress that comes with poor organization.<\/p>\n

Being more organized during the holidays will allow you to enjoy this special time of year even more. And after all, that\u2019s the whole point of the holiday season, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Use these holiday home organization tips to help. Some of them can even be applied throughout the rest of the year as well.<\/p>\n

1. Plan your holidays carefully<\/h3>\n

Any effective organization strategy involves good planning. Of all the holiday home organization tips listed here, this one should be considered the most important.<\/p>\n

It may well be your family\u2019s busiest time of year with all the holiday events and functions going on. There\u2019s recitals, school plays, family dinners, work parties, and other commitments that all need to be kept track of. Set up a planner or schedule documenting all the events your family members are attending.\u00a0Ensure you\u2019re not overcommitting yourself to too many functions.<\/p>\n

Leave enough time for other holiday-related tasks like decorating your home, gift shopping, baking, and sending holiday cards.\u00a0If you\u2019re hosting a holiday dinner, invite a manageable number of guests and plan your menu and grocery list well in advance. Prepare the kitchen by tidying up so there\u2019s lots of counter space and an empty dishwasher that\u2019s ready to be loaded after your meal.<\/p>\n

To lighten the cooking load on the day of your dinner, cook anything in advance that can be refrigerated and reheated without losing much of its flavour or fresh-out-of-the-oven appearance. That\u2019ll also save you from having extra dirty pots and pans taking up counter or sink space.<\/p>\n

2. Plan for overnight guests<\/h3>\n

You might have space in your home for overnight guests during the holidays, but how comfortable is the surface they\u2019re sleeping on? Air mattresses, pullout sofa beds, or futons don\u2019t tend to provide the most comfort, especially when they\u2019re used for a few nights.<\/p>\n

A Murphy bed<\/a> (also known as a wall bed) makes for a much more hospitable sleeping solution for your holiday guests. The mattress on a Murphy bed is every as comfortable as mattresses on traditional beds, which helps your guests get a good night\u2019s sleep.<\/p>\n

And Murphy beds barely take up any space because they easily fold out from the wall when needed. When the bed isn\u2019t being used, it folds right up and can be integrated into beautiful surrounding cabinetry. When it comes to holiday home organization tips that save space in your guest room, consider adding a Murphy bed.<\/p>\n

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Murphy beds are perfect for overnight guests during the holiday season.<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Declutter as you decorate<\/h3>\n

Are your holiday decorations already up and bringing some festive ambiance to your home? If so, this is one of the holiday home organization tips you can use for next year before decorating. This tip can also be helpful when you\u2019re packing your decorations away after the holidays.<\/p>\n

The tip is to declutter your holiday decorations. Whether it\u2019s getting rid of burnt out holiday lights, broken ornaments, or never-used decorations, your holiday storage containers can surely benefit from a little cleaning up.<\/p>\n

Getting your holiday decorations organized as they\u2019re being put up or stored away simplifies the task of decorating next holiday season. Use labels for each container to locate items easier.<\/p>\n

4. Tidy up<\/h3>\n

Entertaining guests during the holidays requires you to do a thorough tidying up of your home. Don\u2019t settle for the \u201cstash it behind a closet door\u201d method of dealing with your clutter, however.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself how your home could be more organized so that you won\u2019t need to work at a frantic pace to get it looking presentable for guests. Could you benefit from an upgrade to your front entryway or mudroom<\/a>\u00a0that makes a positive first impression to your arriving holiday guests?<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019re having trouble locating that specific holiday-themed sweater that\u2019s perfect for this time of year. Or maybe that certain dress you\u2019d like to wear to your office holiday party is hiding somewhere in your messy closet. A good closet organizer<\/a> can work wonders for a closet\u2019s functionality by utilizing its storage space smarter.<\/p>\n

Even just having the rest of your bedroom organized may be a concern if you planned to follow the common practice of letting guests leave their coats on your bed. Taking advantage of the effective bedroom storage solutions available (like a bed surround or wardrobe) can help.<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t overbuy (for yourself or others)<\/h3>\n

Christmas and other traditions celebrated during the holiday season place a lot of emphasis on gift-giving. But if your kids are older, there\u2019s no reason not to scale back a little on the number of gifts you buy.<\/p>\n

Too many gifts, while thoughtful, just never get used much (or at all) by the recipient. Buying for others also gets harder as we get older. Use wish lists so that the gifts you\u2019re giving are actually useful to the recipient.<\/p>\n

If you have a big family, buying for everyone can get time-consuming and expensive. Consider getting the family together before the holidays where arrangements are made to select one family member you\u2019ll buy for. Invest all your gift money in that one gift, which results in the recipient getting something extra special.<\/p>\n

The holiday season provides lots of shopping opportunities with great sales that are hard to pass up. And that shopping season has only gotten longer in recent years with the popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.<\/p>\n

Just don\u2019t get caught up in the tempting lure of great deals for things you don\u2019t really need. That\u2019s one of many ways clutter accumulates in homes.<\/p>\n

6. Make space for entertaining<\/h3>\n

Time may be running out to improve your home in 2017 with some significant upgrades that make space for entertaining during the holidays. Even still, it\u2019s worth looking at some ways to make your home stand out to guests you\u2019re entertaining in the future.<\/p>\n

Any home entertaining usually involves the drinking of wine, so why not appreciate your vino in stylish, ultra-comfortable surroundings? Organized Interiors\u2019\u00a0custom wine cabinetry solutions include designing wine cellar rooms with tables and seating for guests.<\/p>\n

Custom bar cabinetry<\/a> that provides a storage and preparation area for your libations couldn\u2019t be more ideal for entertaining guests and taking care of all their drink needs.<\/p>\n

A fireplace always adds ambiance to a room, but who wants to add \u201clog maintenance\u201d to their already-long list of duties when hosting a holiday party? An electric fireplace\u00a0provides the ambiance without the maintenance a wood-burning fireplace requires. Just push a button to start it and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

A fireplace feature wall also adds a stunning room showpiece to your home, which will impress your guests.<\/p>\n

\"holiday

Take care of your holiday guest\u2019s drink needs with a custom bar.<\/p><\/div>\n

7. Set up a holiday gift wrapping area<\/h3>\n

The last of our holiday home organization tips involves establishing one area in your home that can handle all gift wrapping tasks. Doing so will minimize the likelihood of wrapping-related clutter being left all throughout your home.<\/p>\n

Use plastic storage bins to store all of your wrapping paper and clear off a flat surface for baskets that can hold tape, ribbons, scissors, gift bags, and tags.\u00a0Or go one step better. Pick up a gift wrap storage bag or hanging organizer for around $20-30, which will take up even less space.<\/p>\n

Minimize your stress with these holiday home organization tips<\/h3>\n

Being organized is important at any time of the year, but especially during the holiday season. Hopefully, these holiday home organization tips can help you minimize the stress that commonly accompanies this time of the year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never too early to plan ahead\u00a0so your home is more holiday-ready with some of our organization and storage solutions.<\/p>\n

Book a free in-home consultation<\/a> with an Organized Interiors design expert today.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/h4>\n