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Organizing The Home For The Holidays
The holidays are rapidly approaching which inevitably means new things and less space. With guests coming in, gifts flowing over, extra food, and a mountain of other random items coming to the foreground, we might need to move a few things around to see where we can fit all of the new goodies coming our way. Here a few ways to compensate for the overcrowding and a few ways to give your space a fresh look for the holidays.
Storage is Your Friend
This seems like a bit of a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at the different ways you can store your extra belongings while using the storage units themselves as furniture.
When storing things for the winter season, try utilizing storage units that have more to them than plastic. Wicker boxes, wooden chests, espresso colored shelves are all great ways to store summer oddities while still having a beautiful piece of furniture to liven up the room.
If you go the route of drawers, you can easily pick up a piece that has a nice wooden (or wood-like) finish. This way you can decorate the tops and knobs with different holiday ornaments to give it the real holiday feel as well.
The Rule of ‘Pitch-it’
No one likes to throw away old relics that have been with them for years on end. If you aren’t using it, it’s jut collecting dust and taking up space. The general rule here is if it hasn’t been touched in at least a year, it isn’t a family jewel, and it serves no real purpose (physical or emotional) then it is time to get rid of it.
Getting rid of old items can help you see what it is that you have and what it is that you need. It can also help you see just how much space you really have.
Now, keep in mind, just because there is space doesn’t mean it has to be filled. Sometimes the simplistic aesthetic look can definitely add a fine layer of sophistication to any room. It also helps your nerves from tying themselves in knots when you see just how much you DON’T have to clean. If the item is still in excellent condition, you can consider gifting it to someone who has shown an interest in it. This way you end up giving it a new home where it will be appreciated.
However, if the item is still in excellent condition, you can consider gifting it to someone who has shown an interest in it in the past. This way you end up giving it a new home where it will be appreciated.
Move it Around… Like Tetris
Sometimes we put items and furniture in a room because we think it belongs there based on the name. Truth be told, this is how some things get to be a little over cluttered. Other times we’ll buy a coffee table or centerpiece for a room because that’s what we grew up with.
Honestly, having an open area in the middle of the room is a great way to show an open and inviting atmosphere. If you want tables in your living room, try giving yourself a little extra creativity and incorporate two side tables between the sofa and recliner. This way you don’t give up your table space and you still have an open area. If the barren floor bothers you, consider grabbing a decorative rug. Make sure the design takes up a good majority of the center so the piece fills your home with design but also leaves space for the kids to sit around and open gifts come Christmas morning!
These are just a handful of ways that one can open up their space and remove clutter just in time for the holidays. Remember to keep your doors open and your home inviting by eliminating anything that could give off the wrong vibe for the holiday season!
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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GREAT timing on this post, Jennifer! We live in a tiny house (which we love) and I’ve been screaming at wits end for space. It’s not because of Christmas because it’s just my Golden Retriever, Phoenix, and me. But, LOVED your Tetris analogy. Btw…love that game though I haven’t played it in probably 20 years. The big thing now is to swap bookcases in two rooms. The actual book cases will be put into the second room for books and DVD’s. And the other bookcases will be used for all of my nice kitchen stuff I have. Thank you, thank you! And thanks for sharing your friend with us, Krystle 🙂
The Tetris analogy was great! Nowadays most people are playing candy crush it seems. I can’t get my husband off that thing. The other day my grandmother joked about keeping a tree all decorated and then just storing the whole tree somewhere after Christmas to make it easier on the clean up. Not a bad idea if you have the space.
Such great advice, I would love to have a storage unit again in order to store things I don’t use and when it comes to throwing things out well I do that despite what some members of my family thing.
I like to go threw the house once or twice a year and see what is actually getting used. If it’s not like old toys they get sold or donated. It helps clear things up a bit.
Yes I like to have a clean out a couple of times a year as well even though my family are sure I never throw anything out.
They just probably don’t notice since it’s not their house.