November is a special month. It’s our Thanksgiving month. Turkeys get basted, cranberries shine their light, and marshmallows find their way atop sweet potato casseroles. It is a time for family gatherings, and an opportunity to use those “once a year” platters, tablecloths, and the Publix supermarket-issued Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers!! Ahhhh… traditions around food, family and love.
So let’s prepare our homes for guests, for visits, and for good eating. As a clutter clearing project, no matter what your celebrations look like this month, let’s get festive by preparing properly. Here are some helpful hacks to consider:
1. Get all your platters, gravy boats, stemware, flatware and home decorations out in the open. Take inventory of your turkey platters, bakeware, gravy boats and napkin rings – it’s that time of year. If you’ve been storing things in the garage, the pantry, or under a bed, it’s time to break out “the good stuff” and start washing, polishing and decorating.
2. Appreciate what you have for Thanksgiving, or… let it go. Take inventory, take stock, and if that oversized platter is chipped, worn, or just not exciting you, donate or ditch it.
3. Get your family members involved in clearing the clutter, cleaning the kitchen, living room and dining areas. Put on some tunes, make it a celebration, and have fun setting up your home for success.
4. Decorating – Fill your home with the love of family. Some of us use gourds, twinkle lights, turkeythemed table decorations and the like. If you have them, enjoy them. If you want to add color and vibrancy, head for Michael’s crafts stores, Home Goods, or the nearest Dollar store for décor ideas.
5. Go Natural – Please, please, please AVOID using home plugin chemicals. They are TOXIC and should be ILLEGAL. Over 300 chemicals are mixed to conjure up the artificial smell of cinnamon and apples!
Better to BAKE an APPLE PIE, or heat cinnamon sticks in apple cider on the stove, and bring in natural fragrances. Use essential oils, diffusers, flowers, and natural candles for fragrance.
6. I’m a Vegetarian, so the whole turkey and stuffing meal plan is “off the table” for me. There are plenty of potatoes, veggies and many other foods to choose from… be creative, get a recipe online or use one of your many stored cookbooks, (and if those cookbooks and magazine recipes no longer serve you) … Clear the Clutter… donate or discard what no longer serves you.
7. Outreach – Not everyone has a family event in November. Consider those who are homebound, the elderly, the infirm, those that can use a friend. Reach out to your local food bank and support helping others in need. That’s for food, companionship, and love.
8. Turn off the News. We are inundated with 24-hour news channels and bombarded with negative news. Turn off the TV, turn off the noise. Turn on the MUSIC, a favorite movie, or go silent. Sing, whistle, play… (Isn’t that a book title?) Create your own healthier environment – for your soul to rejuvenate at a time of Thanksgiving.
9. With guests invited, it’s a great time to clear the clutter. Bathrooms require your clearing and cleaning attention. Kitchen countertops can be cleared. Picture frames can be dusted, updated or designed differently. Every room gets a chance to become more clutter-free, more deliberately designed, and things no longer wanted can be donated to someone else.
10. With family and friends coming over, it’s a time of connection. It’s a time to honor the traditions of the past, to reach out to Grandma, and to help those in need. It is a generous time to feed the hungry and fill hearts and stomachs with love.
Of course, A Clutter Clearing is here for you. When you feel overwhelmed, unmotivated or just stuck, reach out to us and we will get your home looking, feeling, and smelling fresh and hospitable.
APlusClutterClearing.com
Happy Thanksgiving, gobble, gobble!!
Clear the Clutter… Clear the Mind™