Reorganize after Christmas

There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into the celebration of Christmas. It is almost like a wedding -- weeks and weeks of planning and poof, it's all over. People can get really stressed out doing all the shopping, planning for the parties, attending the children's programs, and putting the family gatherings together. Then suddenly it's all over. When Christmas is over and done, a little time spent getting reorganized will help lessen the after Christmas stress.

Get rid of all the boxes. Get rid of the clutter. Toss the boxes. There are some boxes you may want to keep until you decide that the gift is working properly and won't have to be returned. Put those boxes somewhere out of the way where you won't be seeing them all the time. A spare room or closet will work. After you have decided you won't need them, they can be tossed. They don't need to clutter up your living space in the meantime. Those you don't need to keep should be broken down and put in the garbage or recycled.

Put the instruction manuals away. After you have completed all the "some assembly required," put the instruction booklets in your instruction manual file. See my previous post Organize your instruction manuals. That way they will be handy if you need to refer to them again, and they won't be laying around cluttering up your desk or counter space, or getting lost or tossed out with the trash.

Send in the registration cards. If there are warranty cards or registration cards you want to send in or complete online, do it right away. If you put it off, it will only add to your pile of "to do" tasks and will end up becoming a frustration. Or you will lose the information and you won't get the task done at all. It only takes a minute or two per item. Why let that couple of minutes become a stress maker. Complete them right away and you will feel good having accomplished the task.

Take some time to play. Christmas is a time for fun. That's what the family gatherings are all about, although they don't always end up that way. That's what all the toys are about, once the assembly is completed. Play with the kids. Play a game you haven't tried for a while. Do something to relax. It will help keep you in the holiday spirit and ward off those after Christmas blues. Christmas is a time of joy. Do what you can to keep the joy in your life throughout the new year!