The Heart Behind Why We Decorate for Christmas
Do you ever feel overwhelmed or just down at Christmastime? Do you get the holiday blues while trying to make it magical for your children? Here are a few tips to make decorating for Christmas seamless and stress-free!
Do you ever feel overwhelmed or just down at Christmastime? Do you get the holiday blues while trying to make it magical for your children? I was that way before the awful flood of 2016. I experienced having a flooded home and it changed my perspective on things like the holidays.
There can be so much pressure to buy all the sale items and to deck out your home in Christmas decor completely from top to bottom. But, what really matters is spending time and making memories with your friends and family. This is why we love giving clutter-free gifts like we talked about last week!
That being said, decorating for Christmas (however much is right for you and your family) can be a great way to enjoy the season with your family as well.
Here are a few tips to make that process seamless and stress free:
Sort your decorations into categories.
Take your decor out ahead of time and take a few minutes to sort everything according to what area of the home it will be going in.
2. Decorate one area at a time.
Tackle decorating one area at a time to simplify the process. You can even do this over several days if that makes more sense for you.
3. Take your time and enjoy the process.
Give yourself lots of time to work on decorating so that it doesn’t feel rushed or overwhelming. Put on some music, heat up some hot coco, and enjoy this time with your family.
Need help getting your home organized for the holidays?
Here are some photos of our decor from a few years back.
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS!
LOVE THIS BLOG?
Sign up to get an email with our latest posts!
Giving Clutter-Free Gifts for Christmas
As we countdown to Christmas, I would like to recap some of the true clutter-free gifts we like to highlight. These are gifts that leave no physical footprint. Here are some examples!
As we count down to Christmas, I would like to recap some of the true clutter-free gifts we like to highlight. These are gifts that leave no physical footprint. I’ve broken them down into categories for you.
Subscriptions:
Netflix
Hulu
Amazon Prime
Magazines
Make-up
Food
Beer, Wine
Audible
Activities:
Museums
Amusement Parks
Movie Tickets
Theatre Tickets
Bowling
Escape Room
Putt-Putt/Mini Golf
Trampoline Park
Zoo
Go-carts
Arcade
Scavenger Hunt
Murder Mystery
NFL, NBA, Baseball, Soccer tickets
Staycation
Vacation
Photo Session
Memberships:
Gym
Roadside Assistance
Golf Club
Country Club
Hunting or Fishing license
Classes/Lessons:
Music
Voice
Foreign Language
Dance
Gymnastics
Martial Arts
Painting
Art
Pottery
Golf
Archery
Horseback Riding
Flying
Services:
Babysitting
Pet Sitting
House Sitting
Freezer Meals
Maid Service
House Cleaning
Lawn Service
Carwash
Car Maintenance
Gas Card
Food:
Freezer Meals
Monthly Subscription
Restaurant Gift Card
Private Chef
Personal Care:
Massage
Med Spa
Manicure
Pedicure
Facial
Tattoo
Ear Piercing
College Fund Money
Cash
With all that being said, I LOVE WRAPPING PRESENTS! I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to unique gift wrapping ideas. For me, gift wrapping is like the final decorating part of the holidays. Purchasing clutter-free gifts doesn’t mean you can’t still wrap them in pretty paper! Here are a few ideas:
With all of these ideas, you are sure to find the PERFECT gift for that hard to buy person on your list.
Happy shopping! Happy holidays!!
Need help getting organized before Christmas?
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS!
LOVE THIS BLOG?
Sign up to get an email with our latest posts!
Preparing Your Home for Guests this Holiday Season
Can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?!
I don’t know about you, but for us, this year has absolutely flown by! Here are a few tips to jog your memory on how to prep for guests coming in town during the holidays.
Can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?!
I don’t know about you, but for us, this year has absolutely flown by! Here are a few tips to jog your memory on how to prep for guests coming in town during the holidays.
Guest bedrooms – Southern Style
YOU will NEED CLEAN AND COMFORTABLE BEDDING FOR THE GUEST BEDROOM.
Clean being the more important of the two! Make sure all bedding is washed and the bed is made neatly. Yes, they might mind the Louisiana Catahoula hound hair on the pillow! Make sure to have enough pillows and an extra blanket if needed. Here is a link to “How to Make a Bed,” in case you need some help.
CLUTTER FREE SPACE IS IMPORTANT.
Of course, they want to see the 72 photos of you and your kids at the Saints game displayed on the nightstand, but they’d also like a space to rest their own personal items. Make sure the bedside table is clear enough for them to have space for their phones, ipads, laptops or other personal items. Be sure to have a spot for their luggage. Maybe just 1 photo of Drew Brees hanging on the wall will suffice? Having a little hanging space in the closet is considerate too. Move the debutante dresses to the other closet!
HELP ENTERTAIN YOUR GUESTS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT SLEEPING HABITS THAN YOUR FAMILY BY PROVIDING SOFT LIGHTING, WATER, SNACKS AND ENTERTAINMENT.
Lamps, books, InRegister, 225 magazines, local brochures for nearby attractions as well as a Wi-Fi password provided for late night or early morning reading are a just few nice touches. Water and snacks like pralines, Satsuma’s, or Zapp’s chips help a guest feel cozy and may make them forget that it’s 90% humidity outside on Thanksgiving Day. Did I mention they might need hair ties? Do they need space for a C-Pap machine, medications, baby to sleep or nurse?
Guest Bathrooms
PLACE A CLEAN BATH TOWEL, FACE TOWEL, AND WASHCLOTH ON THE GUEST’S BED SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO GO SEARCHING FOR WHAT THEY CAN USE.
In my house, I like to designate certain towels as guest towels so that my family members don’t use them to wash the dog or clean up the mud on the floor (Can you relate?). My guest towels don’t look like the others. They are actually white, for one (not dingy white and well loved). I have put these in baskets, tied them with a ribbon, or just stacked them nicely. Any of those options make the guest feel welcome.
A NICE BASKET OR CONTAINER OF TRAVEL SIZE TOILETRIES IS HELPFUL IF YOUR GUEST FORGOT AN IMPORTANT ITEM.
This basket can include but is not limited to shampoo, body wash, conditioner, toothbrush, razor, mouthwash, toothpaste, dental floss, comb, hair ties, or bug spray (mosquitos are like hawks, y’all). If your guests have small children, include toiletries geared for children as well.
MAKE SURE THAT THE BATHROOM IS CLEAN.
This is especially important if your guests share the bathroom with my children. Uhm, I mean children. Any children.
All of these tips can help your guests feel relaxed and pass a good time while staying in your home. They let your guests feel that they are wanted and welcome. But be careful, if you are too kind, they might not leave. And as my Mother-in-law likes to say, company and fish stink after about 3 days!
Most importantly, y’all have a good time, cher! Laisses Bon Temps Rouler!
DOES PREPARING YOUR GUEST ROOM FOR COMPANY SEEM OVERWHELMING? LET US GIVE YOU A HAND!
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS!
LOVE THIS BLOG?
Sign up to get an email with our latest posts!
Preparing Your Pantry for the Holidays
Can you believe it?! The holiday season is in full swing with Thanksgiving just two weeks away! So, in preparation, we decided it’s the perfect time to take inventory and clean out the pantry. Between Halloween candy coming into your home as well as holiday baking coming up right around the corner, we came up with 3 tips to help get your pantry cleaned out before the chaos only increases!
Can you believe it?! The holiday season is in full swing with Thanksgiving just two weeks away!
So, in preparation, we decided it’s the perfect time to take inventory and clean out the pantry. Between Halloween candy coming into your home as well as holiday baking coming up right around the corner, we came up with 3 tips to help get your pantry cleaned out before the chaos only increases!
Here they are:
Toss Expired Items
Look through everything in your pantry and throw away anything that’s expired, especially if it’s been in there since last Christmas!
Replenish Ingredients
Make a list of any items that need to be replenished for your holiday baking. Having clear bins makes this process so simple and quick!
Wipe the Shelves
Take the time to wipe down your pantry shelves, cabinets, doors, etc. while you’re already cleaning out.
Need help getting your pantry in order?
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS!
LOVE THIS BLOG?
Sign up to get an email with our latest posts!
How Clutter Effects Our Children
Have you ever walked into your home and felt overwhelmed, overstimulated, and possibly even anxious? In a 2016 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology scientists declared environments can have a negative effect on a person’s wellbeing.
That made me wonder, what effect is all of our "stuff" having on our children?
Have you ever walked into your home and felt overwhelmed, overstimulated, and possibly even anxious? In a 2016 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology scientists declared environments can have a negative effect on a person’s wellbeing.
That made me wonder, what effect is all of our "stuff" having on our children?
Back in my teaching days, I planned my classroom centers with specific goals in mind. Certain areas were stimulating, bright and full of manipulatives and activity (ex. a math center), but I also planned areas with empty walls, calming colors and no clutter (ex. The reading center). It was interesting to me how children sought out the calming space, sometimes more than the active space. I also noticed the difference in the behavior of the children in these areas. Children in the bright areas were active, chatty, engaged. This area also had more emotional outbursts, aggressive behavior, and chaos. Children in the reading center, which was less chaotic, were found to be quieter and calmer. There were fewer outbursts of emotions and less negative behaviors in these areas. This wasn’t a true scientific experiment, yet I saw first-hand that clutter and stimulation effect children’s behavior, sometimes in a negative way.
What does your child’s homework space look like?
Numerous studies have confirmed my theory that clutter and chaos can have negative impacts on children’s lives. Excessive visual, olfactory and tactile stimulation may cause our senses to work overtime. If our senses are already working overtime just by being in a room, then how is a child supposed to focus on what’s important?
Look around your home, what message are you sending to your children?
This sentence makes one thing come to mind, the cardboard box. Why? Because how many times do we buy things for our children only to watch them be more fascinated with the cardboard box? What makes us buy these "things" is great advertising that makes us believe our kids will be better, smarter and have much more fun with "____" item when in truth, the best gift you can give them is your time and a cardboard box. Ok, maybe a few markers or crayons too. Let the fun begin.
They don’t need more THINGS. They just need YOU.
Which brings me back to the message we send our children. If you are constantly needing new things, new stimuli, new stuff to feel happy, then your children could possibly be observing and learning that behavior, instead of learning that happiness comes from within. They too may be feeling overstimulated and anxious from all of the "stuff" you love to buy them.
Help your family win their day by having a clutter free home where they can play, focus and feel stress free.
Don’t know where to start? Call us for a consultation where we can help you formulate a plan!
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST INSTAGRAM POSTS!
Love this blog?
Sign up to get an email with our latest posts!