December is the perfect month to enjoy your home to the max. It’s time for entertaining friends and family, and for relaxing and getting cozy. Here are seven ways to make your home more enjoyable and comfortable during the holidays and at the start of our Michigan Winter!
Create a quiet space for personal reflection, relaxation and meditation.
Stakeout and fortify your personal space
Reserve a space just for relaxing, meditating, reading, practicing gratitude, or whatever it is that allows you to unwind and recharge. With family, packed schedules, and the state of things out in the world today, having a refuge to support your personal well-being is really important.
Fortify your personal retreat with what you need – this can include a comfortable chair, or mat for yoga, candles, photographs, or art, and make sure it is well lit and properly heated, and whatever you need to recharge. It might be a shared space, but you have it “reserved,” and people know it is “me time.” If you have lots of people and limited space at your home, early morning and late evening may be great times to build a habit of personal care and relaxation. Remember to turn off your phone, television, and computer too!
Hire a Cleaning Crew to Deep Clean Your Home
Hire a Cleaning Service to Deep Clean Your Home
Early December is a great time to do a deep clean throughout your home – just in time for you to enjoy relaxing days off during the holidays. Unless you are a white tornado or have more time than you have money, I would consider having a professional cleaning service come in and level up your home’s state of clean. A good cleaning crew will be systematic – they clean everything, including the things you usually miss or don’t have time or energy to get to. Even if you typically do the cleaning yourself, bringing in a cleaning crew will reduce stress during the holidays and free up your time for more enjoyable tasks around the house.
Increase safety and security sure your exterior is well-lit and snow shoveled, even when you are away.
Plan for a Safe Holiday Vacation
There’s a slight uptick in home burglaries around the holidays, so take precautions if you plan to travel. Call the post office to hold your mail, and ask a neighbor or friend to park in your driveway or even shovel your walk while you’re away. Or install one of many high-tech security gadgets on the market to monitor your home while you’re out of town. Also make sure the area around the exterior of your home is well-lit.
Wrapping gifts can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season.
Set Up A Gift-Wrapping Station
Wrapping gifts can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season if you’re organized. If you’re not, it can get frustrating fast. Setting up your space in advance will allow you to focus on the joys of preparing and presenting a beautiful gift rather than being a hassle and a struggle to put something together.
Set up a table in a room where you and your family can make it a pleasant time wrapping gifts for friends and family. Organize tape, scissors, papers, pens and markers, ribbons and bows, and boxes for easy access. Have a clear table space available that you can walk all the way around. Make sure the area is well-lit. Make it a rule that whoever uses the space puts everything away when done!
You don’t have to spend a fortune on paper and wrapping supplies either; simple solutions include reusing paper bags or getting butcher paper and brightening it up with drawings, paintings, and ribbons. Bring in natural items like twigs, pine cones, and other genuine items. Be creative, have fun with it, and have an “out of the box” holiday gift-giving experience.
Consolidate Your Holiday Decorations
Pulling out your holiday lights and decorations is the perfect time to sort out unused, duplicates, and damaged items and either donate or toss them away. Kiwanis and Salvation Army will take your unneeded holiday items, and someone will undoubtedly be grateful on the receiving end. Cleaning and organizing your holiday decor upfront will make it a snap to put everything away after the holidays.
Thin out your coat closet and make room for when you have company.
Spruce Up Your Entrance Area
Make space for winter coats, boots, and scarves. Take a critical look at your entrance area and coat closet. Identify everything out of season or not used at least weekly and move it to a less critical space. It is a good time to box up and donate those unused winter coats, hats, and gloves. You will make space and help out someone in need. Ensure at least 25 % of your coat rack and shoe area is empty so visitors can easily stow their items. You may want to add doormats inside and out and consider a boot tray to contain dirt and melting snow.
Reenergize Indoor Play Areas
When you have kids at home, harsh winter weather can mean more playtime indoors. Stave off cries of “I’m bored!” with a reenergized play space. A bit of reorganizing and a few simple purchases (like a giant roll of paper and fresh markers) can make your same old space feel new.
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