Christmas is two days away! Although Christmas is probably going to look a lot different this year than in years past, there’s a good chance that it is still going to involve presents. That means a decent amount of new things are going to be added to your home.
After you’ve enjoyed opening your new gifts and have celebrated the holiday with your loved ones, do yourself a favor and don’t just mindlessly put your new items away or stash them in a corner to deal with some other time. A little extra time with each new gift will save you from a headache later.
Give each new gift a spot in your home
First, take a look at each unwrapped gift one at a time. Ask yourself if this is something that you really wanted or needed. If it isn’t, trust your gut and don’t just put it away to collect dust. Return it if you can or donate it. If the gift is something that you wanted or needed, take a second to think about where you will keep it. If the gift is replacing something, take the old thing out and put it in your donation box or throw it away at the same time that you put your new gift away.
Work with the space you have
If the gift is just something you are adding and it is not taking the space of something else, you will need to spend a little bit more time thinking about where you will keep it.
Take a moment to arrange a space for your new item. No matter how great your new gift is, it is just clutter if it is just sitting around and isn’t doing what it was intended to do.
For example, if someone gifted you a blender because you wanted to start making smoothies but you never had a blender before, you are going to have to consider your counter space and cabinet space. You may need to move things around or even get rid of some things so that you can put the blender in the most convenient spot. Counterspace in the kitchen is essential so don’t make the mistake of just throwing it up there without thinking it through. Those couple extra minutes of thinking it over could save you from a countless number of mornings being frustrated when trying to clear things out of the way to make your smoothie!
Be honest with yourself
There is a lot of wiggle room with this but the important thing is to be honest with yourself about what you are bringing into your home.
Don’t let your new gifts become clutter or create clutter!
Do you know what any of your Christmas gifts are going to be? Do you know where you were going to keep them?
This is excellent. We all need to be more mindful of what we bring into our homes and whether it should have a place in our lives.
Thanks. It can be difficult to do, especially with gifts, but if you’re trying to keep clutter out it is necessary.
Great advice, I am trying to keep clutter out and need to be proactive 👍
Yes, you have to be proactive!