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Listen to the Episode Below (00:27:50)
Professional Organizer Diana Luetkemeyer joins us again to share tips on how to have a stress free holiday.
How do we handle the added responsibilities during the holiday season?
- Write down your favorite 3 holiday tasks
- Write down least favorite 3 holiday tasks
- Delegate least favorite to others (hire someone or ask family to help)
How can we enjoy the holidays without feeling stressed?
- Plan ahead
- Schedule tasks & events on your calendar
- Spend some time on yourself
With everything else that is going on, how can we enjoy the holiday meal?
- Prepare side dishes in advance
- Have family/guests provide side dish(es)
- Allow others to help
How does one prepare for overnight guests?
Walk into the room and look for things you would want if staying overnight:
- Lamp with proper lighting
- Alarm clock so guests can set their own wake-up time
- De-clutter the closet
- Well-light hallway to the bathroom
Also, be clear on how long your guests are going to stay
After the holidays, where should we start in getting my holiday decorations organized for storage?
- Gather all the decorations in one area
- Determine which should be discarded (broken decorations) or donated because you won’t be using them again
- Wrap ornaments in wrapping paper from the gifts received (repurposed)
- Use egg cartons to protect smaller ornaments
What are the best ways to store Christmas decorations?
- Use bins for closet or attic storage
- Clear bins allow you to see what the contents are
- Group like-kind decorations together
- Organize them by room (dining room, front hallway, etc)
She also talks about:
- “Buy Nothing Day”
- How long do we keep the original packaging from gifts?
- How do we keep from having credit card bills to pay off in January?