How did it get to be December 26th???
We’re about to say goodbye not only to another year … but another decade!
Today we’re publishing the 2020 ‘Do It’ List. As our regular readers know, the list is designed to help you streamline the process of keeping a cleaner, more organized home (and free up your time to focus on other priorities). Whether you’re new to the ‘Do It’ List or have been with us from the beginning, we invite you to review the Daily, Weekly, and Monthly tasks that will help you see steady progress in taking back your home in 2020.
For me, packing up all the Christmas décor is one of the saddest — and perhaps most challenging — tasks to complete at the start of the new year. Didn’t we just haul all this down from the attic? And now it’s time to haul it back up again? Understandably, we’re tempted to stuff it all back in the boxes and get it squirreled away as soon as possible, in a quest to get the house back to “normal.”
This year, I’d like to encourage you to make a little time for some “Christmas Décor Assessment.”
Here are a few questions to ponder as you look over all the Christmas items gracing your home:
- Do I love this?
- Does this still fit with my home, family, and personality?
- Am I holding onto this out of guilt or obligation?
- Are any pieces clearly faded or broken?
- Are some things just tired and need to be replaced?
After answering those questions, here’s your checklist for Wrapping Up Christmas:
- Designate a large cardboard box or bag to hold “Give Away” items.
- After answering the above questions, pull out any décor that no longer works (for whatever reason). Add these to the “Give Away” box. Anything irreparable can be thrown away.
- Rearrange remaining decorations to fill in the “holes.”
- Make a list of any items you might like to invest in during after-Christmas sales.
- Take photos of mantle, coffee table, shelves — anywhere you placed Christmas décor this year. Then, create a digital album of the images (or print copies, if you prefer) as a record of how and where you used various items to decorate.
- Pack up everything you are keeping. If you made physical copies of your photos showing décor placement, put those on top of the boxes before sealing them up. This will remind you of “what goes where” (and make it easy for hubby and kids to help you decorate next year).
- Any leftovers in the Christmas boxes — especially items that you chose not to put out this year — are good candidates for the “Give Away” box.
- Make a list of the “Give Away” items for your records and/or tax purposes.
- Place the “Give Away” box in your car to drop off on errand day. Don’t forget to ask for a receipt, and to file it with your important papers as soon as you get home.
- Take inventory of all your holiday-themed “consumables” including napkins, wrapping paper, Christmas cards, thank you notes, muffin liners, etc.
- Shop after-Christmas sales (see list below) and pack these items carefully, then store them with your Christmas décor boxes.
Every Christmas, I try to leave some time (and funds) for after-Christmas shopping. This has been an effective means to stretch our family’s budget and allow me to do more for the people I love and want to thank in the following year. Rather than paying full retail, I much prefer replenishing “Christmas consumables” at 75-80% off! To give you an idea of the sorts of things I try to buy at discount, here’s my After-Christmas Shopping List:
- Christmas consumables
- Wrapping paper
- Napkins
- Paper plates
- Christmas cards
- Christmas thank you notes
- Muffin liners
- Christmas tins
- Gift bags
- Christmas décor to add (from notes made during your Christmas Décor Assessment)
- Hostess gifts
- Thank You gifts (Sunday School teachers, children’s piano teacher, ministry partners, etc.)
- Stocking stuffers
- Family gifts
It will be easy to get carried away with all the great deals, so do make a list and set an after-Christmas shopping budget. Even when it’s on sale — perhaps especially when it’s on sale — you can overspend on these items! You might also want to ask your hubby and/or kids to help you remember what you pre-bought for 2020, so you don’t inadvertently purchase wrapping paper next November.
Hopefully, these ideas might help you get organized, save some money, and get a jump start on next year’s Christmas shopping. In addition to our January ‘Do It’ list, we’ve also created free printable checklists for the Wrapping Up Christmas tasks and After-Christmas Shopping List as a way to make this project easier for you!
Happy New Year to all! We’d love to hear what YOU like to buy after Christmas, so please leave a comment below to share your favorites!
Download your copies of the January ‘Do It’ List (standard or blank version)
and printable Wrapping Up Christmas Checklist and After-Christmas Shopping List:
January 2020 BLANK ‘Do It’ List
Wrapping Up Christmas Checklist
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