simple holiday decor

Simplify the holidays

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Simplify whenever possible.

5 Ways to simplify: 

  1. Reduce the number of people to whom you give gifts and the number of presents you give to an individual.
  2. Buy gifts that don’t require wrapping (especially for adults) for example: gifts of experience, donations to non-profits in the receiver’s name, gift cards, cash. 
  3. Send an E-card instead of paper greeting cards. 
  4. Support local bakeries instead of doing the baking yourself. 
  5. Use recyclable paper products for guests to reduce time spent on clean up.
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What’s your favorite Halloween candy? I’ve always been a Snickers lover, but my new favorite is Dark Reese’s Thins. They’er the right balance of chocolate and peanut butter. Yum! Hope you have a sweet Halloween.

Once the sugar rush fades, the year-end holiday season begins! Below, you’ll find some helpful holiday travel tips, and be sure to check out my upcoming Tips of the Month on my website for more holiday organizing advice.

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Check list

Use Holiday lists

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Utilize lists and timelines to make responsibilities easier to remember.

5 Helpful lists to use:

  1. Shopping list for food, table settings, gifts, and decorations 
  2. Gift list for current year and past years
  3. Travel packing list & check list for leaving home
  4. Delegation list for dinner prep, clean up, and other tasks
  5. Timeline for meal prep
3D Character and question mark

Limiting choices helps prevent clutter

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Limit the number of decisions you make each day and the options within each decision. For example, instead of choosing from five different cereals at breakfast, narrow it down to just two. Simplifying your choices saves time, reduces stress, and prevents clutter. Options are good, but too many is overwhelming.

Mailing list removal

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Unsubscribe from as many mailing lists as possible. Doing so reduces both paper and electronic clutter, cuts down on daily decisions, saves time, and minimizes the effort needed to organize your mail.

Here’s a broad list of the kinds of mailing lists someone can unsubscribe from (both paper and digital):

mail boxPaper Mail (Postal Mail):

  • Catalogs (clothing, home goods, tools, hobbies, etc.)

  • Charity solicitations (fundraising letters, donation requests)

  • Political mailings (campaign flyers, party newsletters)

  • Credit card offers

  • Insurance offers

  • Magazine subscriptions

  • Store promotions and coupons

  • Local business mailers (restaurants, gyms, salons, real estate agents)

Email Mailings:

  • Retail/store newsletters

  • Promotional offers/discounts

  • Charity fundraising appeals

  • Political campaigns

  • Subscription services (newsletters, online magazines, podcasts)

  • Travel deals (airlines, hotels, booking sites)

  • Social media notifications (friend requests, updates, reminders)

mobile phoneText Messages / Calls:

  • Retail promotions (coupons, flash sales)

  • Political texts

  • Charity donation requests

  • Survey companies

  • Subscription alerts (shipping updates, appointment reminders you no longer want)

Some of these can be stopped by directly unsubscribing, others through services like DMAchoice.org (for U.S. paper junk mail), the National Do Not Mail List, the FTC Do Not Call Registry, or simply by contacting the sender.