As the holidays loom, we look within our homes and take stock of all the crap we already have lying around and think "where is that tree going to go? What about my snowman collection that I started when my first kid was born?" My answer to that query is... hell, I don't know WHERE you're going to put those snowmen, but let's start with what is already cluttering up the casa.
I love the Container Store. LOVE. Have loved since the outpost opened near my childhood home in Houston. The boxes. The hooks. The labels. It's heaven. BUT it costs money. And I don't feel that bringing shopping bags (which ARE reusable AND recyclable, though!) of more stuff you bought is the answer to decluttering and minimizing. It just can't be. It's counter-intuitive. So, I don't want you to run there first.
You have heard the term "re-purposing", right? It's kind of sexy these days, to take the old unused tool box from the garage and turn it in to a jewelry box. You didn't have to buy anything, and you didn't use any gas to get anywhere. Carbon footprint = still a size 5. I don't know how to make a jewelry box from a tool box. I am not going to go - all instructional manual click here for .pdf - on you.
What I am going to tell you is that you can organize and purge with the powers in your home and your head. I am going to offer a few tips that can be carried out right now, before the Christmas boxes come caroling from your attic and garage.
Light bulbs. Are they all in one place? Do you have spares of the ones you use frequently? And does your family know where they are kept? These should be in a box so that the little night light bulbs don't get crushed by the floodlights!
Batteries. An absolute necessity at holiday time. Buy the AA and AAA in bulk at your big box store. Keep them in the fridge (if you have room) in a sealed plastic shoebox (you know, the ones you bought at Container Store that you never put shoes in?). Again, remind the family where they are kept and that they canNOT take the last AA without telling you that you're now out of batteries. Punishment is waterboarding for that offense.
Nails. You probably want to hang things on the wall that you drag out during the holidays. Put these in the mason jars purchased to use at all your summer outdoor festivities. Label accordingly. Put on shelf, probably near the batteries. And find that hammer!
First Aid. If you have family coming, you're going to need it. A band-aid, some pain reliever. A thermometer? You would be alarmed at how many people present to my clinic (real job) and tell me that their "thermometer is broken". "I couldn't find it". "The batteries are dead". (Should I should refer them to two paragraphs ago?) I will, of course, remind you to keep all medications away from both children and party guests, but for your sanity keep all these items together. In another one of those clear shoeboxes, maybe? Or the clear bin you have under your sink with expired medicines you should trash anyway. Check those expiry dates!
You're almost ready for Thanksgiving! Soon, we will discuss the kitchenware. I hope your pre-holiday planning will be easier with today's suggestions/admonishments/demands. Happy organizing!
We are in that sketchy period between Halloween and Thanksgiving now. You are ABOUT to toss that pumpkin, rationalizing that it is STILL harvest-y, so maybe it should stay for a week or two? Even though it's rotting and leaking pumpkin exudate on the table.
And what about Thanksgiving decorations? My mother certainly never brought out any the day after All Hallow's Eve. I can't recall any stuffed pilgrims frolicking on her tablescape. In fact, she didn't have a tablescape. She would have no idea what the hell a tablescape is anyway, were she still here at my Turkey Day table.
Each year we talk about holiday creep. My younger son's birthday is the day after Halloween, and when we are enjoying the celebration of his birth and a "Holly Jolly Christmas" pipes in over the speakers at the trampoline park, he threatened a coup. "I am barely even BORN in November, and today I have to hear Christmas music?"
I love Christmas, but when it shows up in the eleventh month, it is gross. Can we at least enjoy our week off from school to celebrate a holiday that is so politically muted (no pilgrims and Indians at the elementary Thanksgiving feast anymore??) that we only know mashed potatoes and big college football games are a part of some mystery four day fest?
We at Cowtown Minimalist hope that THIS year, you will find it in your heart to enjoy one holiday at a time. You can do this by minimizing the amount of excess you drag out and the hoopla you feel obliged to participate in.
I have a friend who jokes (but longingly hopes) that the family Christmas decorating should be accomplished by opening a drawer, pulling out a snowman, a Nativity scene, and hanging the stockings up by the chimney with *sorta* care. Oh, and a tree in the corner so everyone knows where to drop off the loot. That's it. Would their Christmas suck if they did that? I doubt it.
Pinterest, Hallmark, and Hobby Lobby all encourage, dare I say inSIST, that we make memories (although Hobby Lobby won't help us make them on Sundays) through festive decor, clothing and that godforsaken troublesome elf. No No No! That isn't how a relaxing holiday is supposed to go. You're frantically waking at 6 am because you forgot to move the friggin elf to another impish hiding spot. Don't even talk to me about Black Friday or Thursday or Wednesday night or whatever. I used to participate in the shopping fun, but once the lines outside of Target started forming Halloween night, I started skipping it. I think I am still ok.
So take stock of your Christmas cheer now. As you sort through your Christmas boxes in the next week or two, try to display what is memorable and truly has meaning for you. Maybe even keep the garbage can handy for pitching out some of the stuff that usually stays in the box anyway because you really don't care about the reindeer salt and pepper shakers. The kids will still have a happy Christmas even if your house doesn't look like a Santa junkyard. Promise.
