How to Make Your Home Holiday Ready With Minimal Effort
The holiday season fills your home with jingles and jolly feelings of family time, delicious meals, and maybe even a little rest and relaxation. Commence the holiday season with some spirit by pulling out a personalized doormat with the family's favorite Christmas saying on it. From there, keep this year simple by getting your home holiday-ready with these easy tips.
Start Cleaning Early
Much of the effort that goes into holiday preparedness is cleaning up clutter and tidying corners to make room for decorations and the additional guest or two. Start the process at the beginning of the month, doing a couple of things here and there so that it doesn't all pile up the week before Christmas. That way, if you decide to decorate, you can jump right in.
If you find that you do the bulk of the Christmas work, this is a good year to ask for help. Adults and older kids can help keep shared spaces clean and surfaces wiped down. Make sure you have a place for items you want to store, like cute seagrass baskets. For younger members of the family, create a Christmas chore chart to be completed for a special night-before surprise.
Adjust Expectations
With each year comes another opportunity to decorate the house and stock the closets full of presents before you wrap and place them under the tree. While you don't need to reinvent the wheel, take some time to consider what really lights you and your family up and stick to those basics. Perhaps this year, instead of going all out with seasonal trinkets on every shelf, choose one focal point per room.
Concentrate on decking the tree out with all your favorite ornaments in the living room, add a gorgeous Christmas wreath to your entryway, and add some simple Christmas kitchen and dining accents that bring you joy. If untangling the Christmas lights or unpacking your family's ornaments feels like too much work, just let it go this year! Have the kids create popcorn garland, and just pull out the ornaments you can't live without. A minimalist tree is an elegant and effortless way to get your home holiday-ready.
Set the Stage
There are so many memories associated with the holidays. From the sounds of bells jingling to the taste of warm apple cider, most of what we remember and love has nothing to do with what our homes looked like. It's all about what they felt like. Think about the things you love most about Christmas and try to work those aspects into your home as easily as possible.
Love the smell of freshly baked apple pie, but just don't have the time? Buy a delicious scented candle and let it do the work for you. You can find all kinds of candles and diffusers with Christmas scents, from cinnamon to fresh pine. Do you reminisce about your childhood memories of spending time with family? Set up a Friday movie night every week this month to get in some laughs and love. Have everyone pick a movie that they fancy, and make the night you watch their choice all about them.
Another easy way to set the stage for the season with minimal effort is to turn on the Christmas tunes. With the switch of a button or the selection of a playlist, you'll instantly feel that rush of cheer fill the house. Make sure you play a mix of kids and adult songs, so everyone gets that jolt of joy.
Shop Smart
Set a deadline for gift lists so that you're not getting last-minute requests that have you rushing out the door for a frantic search. Or, if your family doesn't normally ask for specific presents, start making your own shopping list early. You'll have more time to relax if you're not worried about what to get everyone, and you'll feel great knowing that you skipped all the busy holiday shoppers.
Plan your presents this year in themes. For the fashionista, map out an entire outfit that you know they'd love. For example, pick out a cashmere turtleneck, a chic knee-length skirt, pair of ankle boots, a matching handbag, and delicate accessories. For the busy builder, pick out a new toolbelt, some updated tools, and other items they've mentioned needing recently. If you shop in themes, you'll be able to shop at one store per person, instead of running around the mall all day long.
You might also want to consider asking your family to choose one or two big-ticket items for their Christmas gift list, rather than a long list of stocking stuffers. That way you can minimize the effort you're spending on shopping and wrapping, and maximize family cozy time on the couch.
The holidays are about family, gratitude, and togetherness. It's always fun to deck the halls, but there are plenty of ways to get your home holiday-ready with minimal effort. That way, all your energy can be focused on couch cozies, hot chocolate, and caroling all through the night.