Has your home been turned upside down by the holidays?
If we could, we’d save just a bit of Christmas magic for Dec. 26. All those unwrapped presents, the leftover food, decorations that need to be taken down and stored – not to mention all the new stuff that needs a place in your home – it’s a lot of work to declutter and clean after so much holiday spirit!
For starters, take a deep breath. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your home Christmassy through the first of the year. Take a few days to relax and enjoy your gifts and leftovers, plus that precious extra family time before the season officially ends on Jan. 2.
When you’re ready to tackle the lot, consider these tips:
Leftovers for days
Does your family overdo the food every year? Here’s the easiest way to manage your fridge: Don’t let leftovers from one holiday overlap with the next. If you have a fridge full of turkey and casseroles after Christmas Day, make a point to either eat, freeze or dispose of it by New Year’s Eve or sooner. That way, you won’t risk eating spoiled food, plus you’ll make more room for New Year’s treats and traditions – or all the fruits and veggies you plan to consume once you’ve made your resolutions for 2020.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
On Dec. 24, your tree is surrounded by artfully wrapped gifts for the whole family. But about 10 minutes into Christmas morning, your tidy stack of presents is ransacked! All that’s left after the merry mayhem is torn paper, boxes, bows and bags – but that doesn’t mean it should all be thrown away.
If you have the storage space, consider adding another bin to the Christmas décor corner of your attic for reusable wrappings. Most gift boxes and bags can be repurposed, and as long as bows retain their fluff, it’s easy to replace the no-longer-sticky backing with a piece of tape for the next go-round.
For everything that does need to be tossed, resist the urge to shove it all into a trash bag – take a few extra minutes and sort out what can be dropped off at your nearest recycling bin. Unfortunately, Christmas time accumulates a lot of rubbish that can’t be recycled and must be thrown away, especially for those of us who appreciate a huge decorating process for the holidays!
The clean sweep
Before taking down the decorations, consider upgrading the containers you use to store them. There are many affordable ornament storage bins with dividers to keep them all safe, plus you might be due for a fresh roll of bubble wrap for anything else that’s fragile. If you haven’t yet, make this the year you actually label what’s in each bin so you’re not desperately searching for your stockings next Christmas Eve.
After decorations are stored, give your home a good scrubbing. Choose an all-purpose cleaner to wipe down surfaces, sweep up the glitter and pine needles and ready your home for a new season.
And if you didn’t declutter your house in anticipation of the gifts your family would receive, take an afternoon to box up clothes you no longer wear, toys your kids never play with and books your family no longer reads and make space for what’s new. Donate the stuff you don’t need to a local mission, shelter, school or other nonprofit.
Beat the after-holiday blues
There’s so much to look forward to during the holidays – it can be sad when it’s over! Once the guests have gone home, decorations are stored and your home somehow looks empty, beat the after-holiday blues by filling the air with refreshing fragrances like uplifting Blue Grotto, soothing Just Breathe or joyful Go, Go, Mango.
We hope you had a merry Christmas – here’s to a very happy new year! To shop Scentsy products, reach out to your Scentsy Consultant or visit their website. Don’t have a Consultant? Find one at scentsy.com.
