Now that I’ve recovered from my Halloween Candy Sugar Hangover, I realized that The Official Holiday Season Has Begun. (Oh Joy.)
Shoot, I’m still raking leaves and trying to find time to put the plastic over the sliding glass door to keep the drafts out. I’m not ready to think about Celebrating The Holidays, especially the way most of the women’s magazines say you must.
I have better things to do than make stunning centerpieces with matching little placeholders out of stuff I find in the backyard. I also do not want to bake, send Christmas cards, or make all of my gifts. I have a job. I have a big pile of books I’d like to read. I’m trying to exercise regularly. I have 3 pairs of pants I’ve been trying to find time to hem since August. I have 2 blogs that I write for my business and for fun. (This is the fun one, as I get to rant here when I want.)
So, this is my rant. Let’s declutter the holidays. Here’s my list of suggestions to start. (I’m going to add to this throughout the month.)
1. Make Thanksgiving a potluck. Less work for everybody and a lot more fun. Ask everyone who wants leftovers to bring their own containers.
2. Stop doing any traditions you hate. Chances are you’re doing them because you’ve always done them and nobody really cares whether you do or not. So don’t make the complicated recipes you don’t like and don’t go to Whoever’s party that you dread and don’t put up the 12 strings of lights on the house that takes an entire day and then another day to take down.
3. Get rid of holiday decorations that you no longer like. Have an exchange with your friends or just send them to a charity or, if they’re old and fraying, falling apart, or downright dangerous, throw them away. You’ll have less stuff to store and keep track of. Don’t buy new decorations either.
4. Cut down your card list or stop sending cards entirely. I also like the idea of sending a letter after New Year’s.
5. Cut down your gift list or agree to draw names for a gift exchange. My family stopped exchanging gifts when we realized we were mostly exchanging gift cards. In recent years, we’ve challenged each other to find interesting gifts for under $20.
6. The ultimate decluttering – leaving town for the holidays for a vacation and not to visit relatives. My ideal place would be a beach with waiters to bring me drinks with little umbrellas in them.
Next time I’ll list some great sites with more ideas.
