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Seasonal Shuffle

Sleigh bells ring…are you listening?

Ok, so it’s not really sleigh bells you hear, but it’s impossible to avoid the sense that the holiday season is knocking at your door.

The holidays bring their own brand of “stuff” along with them. Prepare to haul out bins of decorations, dust off holiday and entertaining dishes, bring on the winter clothes and make space for an influx of new gifts! Along with those physical items, there are extra activities on your schedule too. The kids’ school events, holiday get togethers and dinners all make demands on your time. All the festivities can be both exciting and a little stressful. This year we can all add the need to adjust our usual traditions to make them safer for everyone involved, and that’s an additional “thing”.

Many of our clients tell us this can be the most overwhelming time of year to manage all the “stuff” in their household. That’s why we created “The Holiday Shuffle.” Is it a new dance craze?? No! The Holiday Shuffle is all about shifting into a new season, so you don’t become overrun with all the extras. This blog will guide you to:

  • Transition your wardrobe
  • Switch out decor
  • Simplify your schedule

    • 1. Transition Your Wardrobe

    Depending on what part of the country you call home, fall and winter will call for different, bulkier clothing. Now is your chance to give your cool weather clothes a place of pride in your closet. Here’s how:

  • Create a “winter accessories” bin. This bin will house your scarves, hats, mittens and earmuffs. Place this bin in an easy grab and go location like a shelf or cubby near the front door. During the warmer months this bin can go up high in your closet or be moved to a shelf in your coat closet.

      • Tip: Try making a second bin for “summer accessories. Bathing suits, sunhats and such. Gather all the warm weather accessories and move them up high for now (Don’t worry you’ll see them again.)

      The point of this swap is to make space in your most accessible areas for the accessories you will use NOW.

    • Repeat the last exercise with your clothing. Replace sundresses with coats and sweaters. Swap out shorts for long pants. To simplify the process you can literally swap closets. Move the clothing that is impractical for this season to a lesser used closet and fill your main closet with only the items that suit the current season.

        • Bonus: As you make the swap, take a moment to pull out and donate any items you don’t see yourself wearing this season. Perhaps you stored them away looking forward to the cooler weather, but if you can’t see yourself putting them on, donate them!

      • The great thing about transitioning your wardrobe is that you won’t have to think about finding a suitable outfit. Everything in your closet will work. On top of that, you will have so much more space. Remember to repeat this process each season.

          • Shuffle complete! Space created! You win! (This process takes less than 1 hour to complete and will save you at least twice that much time in energy and efficiency).

          2. Switch Out Your Decor

          When you bring out holiday decorations, dishes, baking supplies, throw pillows and ADD them to your current decor, the result can feel cluttered and cramped. By making a SWAP of items, your home feels pleasantly functional and super festive!

          • Dishes: Swap out your everyday dishes for your holiday china. Why not use the good stuff this whole month? Put the regular dishes right into the holiday box and swap them back at the start of the new year.
          • Create a baking station: Rather than cram your pantry with all the holiday baking goodies, or worse yet, clutter your counters with them… Try using a rolling cart to house all your supplies. After your baking is complete you can always use this cart for something else.

              Tip: You can use a rolling cart to create a mobile gift wrap station as well. Wrap gifts from any room in the house and roll the supplies out of the way when guests come over.

              • Replace Decor: Don’t be afraid to take down some of your everyday artwork and decor items and hang more festive seasonal options. By replacing rather than adding, your decor will look intentional. Do this for throw pillows, hand towels, rugs and more.

                • 3. Simplify Your Schedule

                Avoid holiday overwhelm by paring down your commitments BEFORE your calendar gets too full. This is a perfect year to make changes to some things you have “just always done”. Ask yourself:

                • Do I really WANT to say yes to this commitment, or am I doing this out of a feeling of guilt or obligation? You WILL be invited to participate in events, however, the inviter is probably not aware of your schedule. Chances are they don’t want to overwhelm you. If your schedule looks too full, politely decline.
                • What items can I remove from my schedule to make room for Holiday events? Maybe your weekly pilates class or book club meeting can be put on the back-burner to make room for a holiday baking session with the kids. Perhaps TV time can move aside for Christmas caroling. Trying to cram in extra commitments on top of your regular schedule is a recipe for yule-tide burn out. Save yourself by setting a limit to how many events you can accommodate AHEAD of time.
                • What is IMPORTANT and SAFE to me this season? The answer to the question is different for every one of us. The key is to fill your schedule with activities that will bring joy and satisfaction to you and your family. That’s what the holidays are all about. NOT over committing to please others. Or doing things that don’t feel safe for your family just because others might be doing it. Remember it’s about QUALITY over QUANTITY. One sweet hour spent drinking cocoa and laughing with your kids is so much richer than 10 holiday events where you have to rush and stress to fit it all in.

                    Enjoy the season!

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