THE HOLIDAYS…A wonderful time of the year and also, a time that can be get on all of our nerves. 

So then, how do we get our homes ready for the holidays with more ease, fun and less stress? Finding ways to keep the holidays a joyful time is key and—and can also be challenging.

I’ve been doing professional organizing work for three decades and I’m also someone who has had many wins and many losses when it comes to successfully pulling off a well decorated holiday home & experience.

Allow me to share with you what I’ve learned in four bite sized, easy peasy concepts; gems that I have learned along the way that can change the way you relate to holiday preparedness.

What preparedness often includes when it come to the holidays is the element of needing more space. In my work—that’s what clients hire me for; more space, more order, and systems that really work for them.

Here’s how to get there:

1. Pre-Planning with the Family & Roomies

If you live in a family or roommate situation, it’s time to identify who is the Quarterback of decorating and holiday event planning in your home/family? Who is the person that spearheads this effort? There is often one person that’s the initiator and instigator. Identify that person and if you’re not it, your job is to be the wingman or wingwoman and allow the Holiday QB to lead, provide direction, and delegate. Clearly I don’t know any other football positions other than the quarterback. 

Start to have a conversation. Notice I said start, not DO. You’re not pulling out boxes and bins and china at this point. Simply starting a conversation gets the ball rolling and allows ease and levity to come into the picture. A good time to do this is over dinner when and where family members naturally gather. 

Conversation topics can include:
-Are we hosting any gatherings this year and if we’re not, who is?
-Where are the decorations located? Where are the holiday dishes and all the things entertainment related?
-Ideally, when would decorating and preparing occur for each holiday that we celebrate?
-Are there dates that need to be shared?

So, with this step, it’s all about getting everyone on the same page. If you live on your own, have this conversation with your family and friends about what the holidays are going to look like. You might consider a group email or scheduling a Zoom for an easy meet up or way to get the conversation going.

2. Creating space via Staging Areas

For each holiday and upcoming event: consider create a staging area for decorations and/or extra hosting dishes and what-not. My stepmom Judy used to always pop open a folding table or two that from October to January lived in the garage. This gave her a place to work, to set up and she even had a Christmas gift decorating station with all the wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, etc. This was really helpful because, having it in the garage meant it was out of the way and that all the family members could access it and use it but it didn’t interfere with the main areas in the house. This is important because often there is more “stuff” that goes up in our homes during the holidays and that can be fun and celebratory but also, disruptive to flow. So creating a space for the excess of things can make a heck of a difference.

3. Delegating to family members / roommates.

Often one person gets the brunt of the job. Judy, my lovely stepmom, was very much the, “Oh no, I can just do it all” person and she was a master entertainer and decorator. But, it seemed like it may have created some bad feelings. Let’s be honest, we all need help. So give your kids a job. Give your partner a job. Give your housekeeper a job! The point of the holidays is not to be over worked and overloaded about decorations and preparations and it’s certainly not to do everything on your own.

4. Hiring Out Help! How do we know when to get help? Consider getting help with the following!

-The stuff that’s super time consuming, like decorative lights.
-The stuff that is dangerous or hard to do; like hanging lights!
-Putting up the tree correctly.
-Centerpieces for the holiday dinner tables and other holiday flowers. 
-Getting help with decorating! Hire a Professional Organizer to come and help go through your decorations and get everything prepped. (Who ya gonna call…?)  
-You don’t know what to wear to a holiday party, hire a stylist.

-And if you need help with food or catering, explore food prep services.

One last thing, What NOT to do!
Remember January, how it’s like 55 days long? October, November and December is not the time to, when you’re going through your décor, to dig into organizing all the holiday stuff. You’ll have time then to deal with that part in January when everything sloooooows down.

Happy Holidays! And remember, the objective is to have more fun, more sincere connection with your family and loved ones and a less hectic holiday. 

If you have any questions for me, please leave a comment!  Thanks!