Christmas is a heady mix of people, gifts and food. Whether you are hosting the big day or not, getting Christmas-ready definitely reduces stress.
Declutter Your Home For Christmas
Fridge and Freezer
You can’t declutter your home for Christmas without making room for Christmas food. No matter who hosts the meal, indulging in ham offcuts up to New Year’s Day and beyond, is a festive tradition. Various salads and desserts are also welcomed into your fridge, because we all love to over-cater, and of course over-eat.
Ideally you want to sort out your fridge before the festivities commence, so that you have room to store your food prep and leftovers. Long may you feast!
Check out this handy fridge decluttering guide. If you are hosting, give your fridge a wipe down because your guests will be peering in. Also think about assigning drinks to another location, i.e. a drinks fridge or ice bucket. This keeps your food fridge functional and you can get things in and out without playing food Jenga. No doubt some guests will ignore your request and ram six-packs and open bottles of Champagne in there. But redirecting them to the drinks area is part of the fun.
Pantry
Decluttering the pantry reaps great rewards at any time, because your pantry is the main hub of the kitchen. Most of us access it several times a day, even if just for snacks and aimless peering in. Get your pantry sorted so that food prep for all your social events is super easy. If you are hosting you’ll want all your tea and coffee arranged and accessible for the inevitable post-meal cuppas.
Decorations
The decluttering process happens naturally as you access your decorations to put them up. Anything not worthy to be displayed this year is probably a goner. And donating your unwanted decorations is easy in December – they will be well received. Trying to offload decorations in January is an exercise in futility. Ugly hand-made decorations from years ago – well some call me ruthless but they are destined for the bin.
Gift Areas
If you are expecting clothes, declutter your wardrobe. If the kids are expecting toys, crack onto those areas and help the children declutter. Nobody will want to do it in the lazy days post-Christmas, so ideally create some space leading up. If someone is getting a new bike, release the old one onto a donation or sales site. It’s a great time to do so. Get rid of anything not used for a while, and items due to be upgraded by Santa.
Also look at your outgoing gift stash. Assign what you can to recipients before you go Christmas shopping. There is rarely the need for an ’emergency gift’ in the era of late night supermarkets and bottle shops, so you can actually trim your gift cupboard right back. And if there is anything in here you don’t like, donate it right away. Declutter your home for Christmas by culling shitty would-be gifts.
Dining and Living
This is a great time to make room for a Christmas tree. That might mean rearranging some furniture, and while you’re at it, see if there is any junk build-up. Take a fresh look at dining and living paraphernalia. This includes ornaments, table decorations and the clutter that accumulates in nearby storage. If you are hosting you’ll want glassware and serving accessories clean and available.
Bathroom
You can bet your guests will be rifling around looking for toilet paper and even having sneaky peeks in your cabinet. Take out anything you wouldn’t want them seeing, and do a tidy while you’re at it. It’s amazing how much clutter can accumulate. As an aside, it’s a nice touch to have period products in easy reach in case your guests need them and don’t want to ask.
Bedroom
You may have overnight guests or little ones who will be snoozing in the bedrooms. Therefore now is a great time to declutter your home for Christmas and give those areas a spruce-up. Clear bedside tables and drawers for guests, and ensure weary travellers have somewhere to put bags and/or a porta-cot.
Home Office
Going off-grid over the festive season was easier when the office was not at home. You could just log off and leave the building. If you are working from home or using a home office in any capacity, tidy your desk and your computer desktop as an end-of-year process. Just like you do at a ‘real’ office. Pay your bills and deal with paperwork. Slow down the influx of paper by signing up for online and automatic billing wherever possible. If you want to go next-level, detangle and label computer cables.
Alfresco
Whether you have a pool, are dining outside or are just anticipating the usual afternoon game of cricket, tidy up the yard.
Declutter Your Home For Christmas – ready, set, go!
If you are a newcomer to the world of decluttering, have a look at where to start. Use the rule of three and decide what to keep, donate and store. And don’t forget to label! Try the ‘strangers, acquaintances and friends‘ method and as always feel free to reach out for help and advice.
