Happy week between Christmas and New Year to you! I hope you had a terrific holiday. Ours was the perfect white Christmas. It started snowing on Christmas Eve morning and snowed the better part of the day. Thanks to all the wonderful street crews, the snow was just pretty and not bothersome. We were still able to get to our holiday celebrations. It really felt and looked like Christmas.
I made my snowman cheese ball on Christmas Eve. You can find the recipe here. The recipe on the website calls for cheddar cheese, but I use the Italian blend…which makes our snow friend even more snow-like.
Now it’s on to one of my favorite weeks of the year. If you get my monthly organizing newsletter then you know how much I love this week between Christmas and New Year. (If you don’t get my newsletter, you can sign up here and read the December article here.)
I made it a point this week to keep my client calendar clear, so I could do some office work to wrap up some projects for the year, and get things ready for the upcoming year ahead. And I’ve been taking my article to heart. I’ve been intentionally clearing out clutter and getting myself physically and mentally ready for the New Year. The lower level of my home, which includes my office and the storage area in our basement, has been getting the bulk of my attention. It feels really good to be thinking about my goals for the upcoming year, and intentionally letting go of unwanted and unneeded things to create space for these new outcomes I intend to create.
I’ve also been organizing and decluttering my gift wrap area and picking up just a few little things during the after Christmas sale. I love to use these ceramic ornaments from Target for gift toppers — and they’re 50% off this week. (My Target had quite a few of the white ones left yesterday. The red and blue ones are from past years.) My Target also had the Caldrea products that I blogged about here on clearance. I’m sad to see them go…but stocked up on some of my favorite items at 30% off which will come in handy because I’m feeling a spring cleaning binge in my future. 🙂
So that’s what I’ve been up to. How about you? How are you spending your week between Christmas and New Year? Do you crave decluttering like I do…or do you let the holidays linger and take time to relax a bit longer? If you have decluttering on your to-do list, here’s some good news. My instant download guide Clear Out the Holiday Clutter is on sale this week for 33% off! So, if you’d like some ideas for clearing out your holiday clutter, making plans for a more organized Christmas next year, plus storage and organizing ideas for your your holiday decor, this guide is here to help.
By the looks of Goodwill yesterday—I could see I’m not alone in my desire to clear out the clutter after Christmas. I go to Goodwill a lot—to donate things for myself and for my in-home organizing clients—and I have never seen it anywhere near as packed or busy as it was yesterday. It was nuts! Anyway…I’d love to hear what you’re up to! What’s on your to-do list this week?
I am anxious to declutter and put away but I like to spend this week relaxing, reading, and enjoying the fruits of my pre-Christmas labor. Next week I’ll take down the tree and decorations- then start the clearing out process.
Does that mean Target is no longer carrying Caldrea products??
Hi, Candice,
I don’t know if Target isn’t carrying Caldrea at all anymore. I just noticed the clearance stickers when I was out shopping, but don’t know anything more than that. Maybe we can hope they’re just introducing new scents or something fun like that. 🙂
Aby
Hey Aby,
Thanks for sharing your idea for the snowman cheese ball! I was thrilled when I saw it because I’d been completely bored with all my recipes! It turned out to be a total hit last night with my friends & family.:-)
Happy New Year!
Hi Aby – as a professional organizer in Rochester, NY, I can say I love to declutter after the holidays. What I love about putting away my Christmas decorations is that it simplifies each room, and I begin a list for each room of home improvement projects I want to accomplish this year. Sometimes it’s as easy as tightening loose drawer handles but other projects involve spackle, paint and new furnishings.
As I bring everyday home decor back up from the basement I look at each item and ask myself if it really needs to be in my home. It’s easy to overdo it on picture frames, tchotchkes, candles, baskets, pillows, etc. If it no longer serves a purpose, out it goes.
Happy blogging and Happy New Year!