Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year, but ‘tis a season that invites plenty of chaos, too.
Whether it’s the influx of people, presents, food or decor, it’s a lot of extra ‘stuff’ to contend with. And if there’s one thing that we all need less of its ‘stuff’ that can soon translate to clutter.
But what if this year we take charge and clear the decks before the festive fun kicks off?
By implementing a purposeful pre-Christmas tidy that is just as good for the mind, as it is the home, we too can switch out overwhelm for calm, and embrace what’s coming.
Wondering where to start? Vicky Silverthorn, the UK’s leading professional home organiser at You Need A Vicky, shares her top tips.
First, make a list
“For me personally, [I write lists] in the reminder section of my phone and I even have a special little Christmas one. Keep it nice and simple and start to make a list of anything that pops into your head – whether that’s a gift idea or the fact you need a new tablecloth.
“I prefer to call it an ‘action list’; it’s got a much more positive feel to it and it’s a more positive word. It can include anything from decluttering the spare room to clearing out the kids toys to anything physical around the home that you might want to do.”
Go room to room
“Try not to get overwhelmed and think of it all as one giant task. If you chip away at it, you’ve got loads of time before Christmas. And if you really haven’t got much time at all, just do it in half-an-hour chunks or a 20-minute chunk.
“While you’re on the phone to someone, you can be emptying a cupboard. And when you come off the phone, you can be going through it. Tiny little bits at a time, and you will achieve your goal. It’s making sure you’re doing it in a way that works for you and with the time that you have available. Be realistic.
“Another tip I’d always give is, only start what you know you can finish. The last thing you want to do is shove things back in and say, ‘I’ll come back to that’. By that time, the brains almost switched off to it.”
Streamline cupboards and drawers
“The first thing you do when you get to a drawer or cupboard is get everything out and lay it on the floor in neat lines. You can see what you’ve got, how many you’ve got of them, and you can start relocating things to where they should be living.
“Another tip is to make sure everything has a home, from a nail clipper to a safety pin to a roll of Sellotape. If it hasn’t got a specific place to live, give it a place. And that will help you get into the habit, slowly but surely, of having a more positive attitude towards tidying. As soon as you know where it lives, things take less time.”
Organise the food cupboards
“A really good way to declutter is to use up as much food as possible, because there’s always a lot of food coming in at Christmas. So take note of what’s in the freezer, take note of what’s in your food cupboards or your pantry, and make an effort to start using it, as opposed to keep buying. That’s a good exercise in life, but at Christmas absolutely.
“Anything that you know you won’t use, take it to the local food bank. If you haven’t used it in six months, it just doesn’t make sense to have it, and it’s going to end up in the bin otherwise.”
Clear the spare room
“One of the key spaces to sort is the spare room as it generally becomes a bit of a dumping ground. So go through, work out what you do need, what you don’t need. Do you need to clear out an area of space for someone who is staying longer? Is there anything that you really don’t use anymore, that you don’t need in your life?
“That’s the most powerful question when we’re at clients’ homes – rather than, ‘When did I last use it?’ It’s ‘Can I live without this?’ It’s more likely to move you forward with what you’re doing.”
Sort through the toys
“Toys do come in, so what have you got? Go through the children’s toys, start getting rid of any that aren’t age appropriate anymore. Either put them in a memory box or start giving to charity. It’s a bit of a circle; people will go shopping in charity shops for gifts, so get your stuff into the charity shops ready for Christmas.
“What I’d always suggest is to do an element of the decluttering when children are not there, but I also think it’s very good practice for children to be involved in the process, too. Present them with a small box for them to go through. Even if they don’t want to get rid of any of it, you’ve included them, and there’s that level of trust there. You don’t want them to fear decluttering.”
Declutter the decorations
“If your Christmas decorations are in a state, you’ve got to get the necessary tools to sort that out. It doesn’t have to be gimmicky; it doesn’t have to be anything like a bauble box, but it’s about making sure you buy appropriate storage. I would suggest something called Really Useful Boxes. They stack, they’re strong, and they’re long term. Christmas decorations you’re going to have for life, so buy something that is long lasting. It’s something to invest in.
“How I wrap my Christmas lights is on a kitchen roll tube. Cut it at one end, near where the plug is, you tuck the first bit of wire in, and you wrap them round and round. It’s inexpensive and the best way to store them.”
Rethink your gifting
“I do a newsletter about it every single year – ‘Experience Over Stuff’, I call it. I just think the loveliest thing in the world is to buy someone an experience or have an experience with them, whether it’s theatre tickets, a magazine membership, a membership to Kew Gardens or Merlin, depending on how much you’re spending.
“But if it’s with your friends, you could just all make an agreement of, ‘Let’s all go out to dinner’. We see it from the other side in January. You wouldn’t believe how many unwanted gifts a professional organiser takes to the charity shop. It’s heart wrenching.”
