Christmas branches and red berries on a white background with the text How to Have a More Organised Christmas

For the last six weeks of 2017 I have been writing a weekly blog post to guide you through the festive season and into the new year.  This Christmas I wanted to be more intentional about how I spend my energies, money and time. I wanted to capture the true feeling of the festive season – family, friendship, and a little bit of magic – without the frenzied shopping, the stress or the endless to-do lists.

I hope you and your family had a magical Christmas. As we enter a new year, it’s time to put away the decorations, treasure the memories, find room for the gifts, and get back to normal. Or better than normal, if you have made any new year’s resolutions!

Week Six: Happy New Year!

Are you making any New Years resolutions? I’ve been making resolutions for as long as I can remember. But it was only when I actually put plans in place to achieve them that I found success.  In fact, statistics show that less than 10% of people achieve – and maintain – their new years resolutions. So I have put together a list of 10 strategies that work for me, which you can read here.

Bunch of red tulips

Important dates:

New Year’s Eve: I am sure you don’t need reminding, but New Year’s Eve, 31st December, falls on a Sunday this year. New Year’s Day is on Monday.

Saturday 6th January – Epiphany / Twelfth Night: Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas, traditionally the last day of the Christmas festivities. (It also happens to be my birthday, but that is a whole other blog post!). Make sure you take the Christmas decorations down before midnight on 6th January, or tradition says you will have to keep them up all year to avoid bad luck! Regardless of superstition, Twelfth Night is a suitable time to pack away the baubles and freshen up your home for the start of a brand new year.

Gold and pink bauble on a Christmas tree branch against white background

 

To-do this week:

  • Food shopping: Check you local supermarket’s opening times over the New Year period and plan ahead when you are going to do your shopping. You may still have a fridge full of leftovers, but take the time to do a quick check. Then pop out on New Year’s Eve to grab any essentials you will need until things “get back to normal”.
  • Rubbish collection: Your usual rubbish collection day is still likely to be changed this first week of January. Check in your local paper, or with the council when your delivery will take place this week. Make a note on your calendar or even set an alarm on your phone to remind you of your revised day for the next couple of weeks.
  • Back to school: Our school goes back on Thursday 4th January, and most others will be too around this time. Check your school calendar, and any clubs, meetings and regular activities so you don’t miss them starting again.
  • Christmas decorations: Before Twelfth Night, finish taking the Christmas decorations down. Take the opportunity to discard broken or faded decorations, or to donate any that you didn’t use this year.
  • Memory keeping: Christmas is over, but your memories are just beginning. Take a moment to think about how you can preserve your memories from this festive season. Here are some ideas:
    • Megan at The Nerd Nest cuts a piece off the bottom of her family’s Christmas tree and turns it into a candle holder for Christmases to come. Such a lovely idea that we will be adopting!
    • Every year my little family goes to buy a new Christmas tree decoration each. When the tree comes down, I take a photo of each one and pop it into our family album.
    • Collect together your Christmas cards and clip them together in binder rings to make a simple mini-book. You can display your cards together in a basket each year, to be flicked through and read. Or keep them in a scrapbook, using an envelope page.

Christmas cards saved in a scrapbook envelope page

  • Get organised! Hands up if you are looking forward to getting back to normal? To a fresh star?. To routine, healthy food and a clean house? A new year is the perfect time to declutter and get organised. To schedule your free of charge consultation to see how I can help you get more organised in 2018, please get in touch using the contact form. I would love to hear from you!

So there you have it!  Christmas is over, and we are heading into a brand new year. I hope that these posts were useful. I would love to hear your tips for a simple Christmas so that we can share them together next year.

Thank you for your support of More Organised in 2017.

I wish you every happiness and success for the year to come – Happy New Year!

Flatlay of champagne bottle, glasses and sequins on a gold table cloth