In our home the Christmas trees go up early. By November 1st I am already chomping at the bit. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that sometimes the Christmas trees even go up before Halloween. Yikes! But if the holiday decor goes up early, it also comes down early. I typically start dismantling one or two days after Christmas. As eager as I am to decorate for the season, by the time Boxing Day rolls around, I am just as eager to return the home to its non-holiday state. For me, the window between Christmas and New Year is a time to reset, refresh and start the year off with a new footing.

So what does resetting look like in my home?

1. Putting away the Christmas decor

It is tempting to just throw all of your decorations back in a box, but taking the time to organize your decorations makes for an easier and less chaotic set-up next year. Here are a few tips to better help organize your holiday decor.

A) Group like items:

a. By type - e.g. ribbon with ribbon, round ornaments with other round ornaments, picks with picks, etc.

b. By colour – store gold items, be they ornaments, ribbon, or picks in a box labeled ‘gold.’

If you choose to group by colour, it is a good idea to store your garlands, wreaths, and lights separately. Because these items are often the first ones to go up, it is helpful to have boxes dedicated to these items separate from other green ornaments.

B) Edit: I like to take a yearly look through my supplies to see what I have and to identify items I might want to replace or that I might want to buy in future seasons. This is also the perfect opportunity to identify ornaments that I never use. Giving yourself the freedom to part with unused items can be very freeing and free-up storage real estate. After all, someone else might enjoy.

C) Assess storage: Year over year I tend to accumulate new ornaments. Old ornaments break or wear-out and after a solid edit, my inventory will likely have fluctuated. It is a good idea to reassess your existing storage solutions—boxes, bins, shelves to see if they are still working for you. One hard and fast rule for me: I never buy new storage solutions before taking stock of my decor inventory. This helps keep me on track to only buy the storage items I actually need.

Here are what some of my Christmas storage labels look like

2. Cleaning and organizing

This sounds like a lot, right? Well, it can be. But while you are changing over your décor, consider going beyond just vacuuming up the dust bunnies, pine needles and glitter. I like to use this time to re-assess other organization systems in my home: kitchen cupboards and drawers, bathrooms, linen closets, mudroom, etc. to see if my current organization systems are working best for me and my family. This process doesn’t have to begin and end in one day and if tackling your entire home is too overwhelming, identify one space you have been meaning to attend to, and start there.

There is nothing quite like beginning the new year with a space that is efficient and organized. Assessing your space—what is and isn’t working for you and acting on it can create a more comfortable, peaceable environment. In a life full of unknowns, chaos and stresses, living in a set-up that works more efficiently and ergonomically for you and your family can be a real bonus.

A word to the wise: reorganizing your space may throw off family members who are used to having things a certain way, so be prepared for pushback. But believe me, a well-considered space is something that benefits everyone living in your home.

Kitchen Organization can actually be fun when involving labels!

3. Reset

The Christmas tree is down, the cabinets are reorganized, and the floors and surfaces are cleaned. Now what? Most people reset the room to what it was. May I suggest something different? For some of you, that might be a HARD NO after all your hard work. That’s okay. This is meant to be helpful. Sometimes change is healthy though. If change is for you, consider the following.

Resetting my mind is no easy feat and takes more than a new year’s resolution to accomplish. For me a change visually can really help. A fresh new look can uplift the mind and spirit. Consider whether putting everything back the way it was is the best idea. Think through your space just like your kitchen cabinets and assess if the layout and items in the space are working. Perhaps there are things you can part with or things you may want to purchase to elevate your space. Perhaps some things could use a makeover or replacing. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. God knows we’re all suffering the inflation! But thinking through resetting and what that entails for you can start your new year off on fresh footing.

What does this look like for me? Instead of my go-to collection of blue stately pottery that usually sits proudly throughout my home, I opted for a different palette entirely. I stored the pottery for the next time I feel like a change. I was craving an earthy, warm pallet and had some historical scientific prints of insects I picked up in Spain a few years back, that I knew would do the trick. Now was the time to display them. This gave my living room a whole new, relaxed, neutral vibe.

Resetting doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. With a little brain power, elbow grease and time your effort can go a long way to a fresh start for the new year.

It may even provide a clean fresh slate to thrive in. After all, cultivating our soil can give our new years resolutions the best chance for success!

New Year, New You, time to Reset!

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