SOS the gifts are unwrapped and my house is a mess, what next?
Everyone had a blast unwrapping the gifts and now your living room is total chaos. Do you feel anxious, overstimulated, frozen?
Me too.
What follows is a concrete, step-by-step action plan for how to take one step forward, then another, then another, until your home is reset to its baseline. (Or even better…!)
Read the whole thing or scroll for the section you need most, but know there will be recycling info, donation info, and practical organizing advice you can start right now, today.
Remove all trash and recycling
Make conscious decisions about what stays—and commit to your choices
Assign homes for all keepers
Make a plan to use it (and be accountable: via calendar, via telling someone, etc)
Get your items returned on time
Close the season with intention
So, read on, share with your partner or anyone in the home who is capable of helping—do not attempt to take this on by yourself. Delegate and share the load, offer up jobs that are developmentally appropriate and make it a family affair.
Remove all trash and recycling
Break down cardboard boxes
Review what IS and is NOT recyclable
Get it out of the house—don’t let it sit if your only reason is it doesn’t all fit in the bin, and yes, do a run to your local recycling center if you need to (***items accepted: cardboard, styrofoam, batteries, old electronics, *** etc)
OK, ok, save the good boxes if you must, but please don’t save all—you don’t need them and trust that more will be coming your way soon enough
Your best resource for all things recycling in Delaware: https://dswa.com/ and YES they accept broken string lights in their electronic recycling bins!
Delaware Recycling Center: 1101 Lambson Lane, New Castle, DE 19720. Drop off hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-3:30pm; Saturday 8:30am-2pm
Newark Recycling Center: 470 Corporate Blvd., Newark, DE 19702. Drop off hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30am-3:30pm
Source: DSWA’s FB page
Make conscious decisions about your gifts
Look at each item—do you really love this, will you actually use this, is it important to you to add to your life? If YES, your next step is to make the commitment to it:
remove from all packaging
take off tags
clean or launder
put batteries in
assemble
in other words, do everything you need to do so it’s ready to be used immediately
If NO, can you return or exchange it? Can you regift it, donate it, or put it in a “Decide Later” bin with other items you need a bit more time to part with?
My favorite donation spots—who gift the items to members of our community who are in need, free of charge )in no particular order): CHILD, Inc., Phoenix, Forget Me Not Families, Friendship House.
Assign intuitive homes
Every single new item that is staying needs a designated home. This applies to literally every item each person received. Where will it live? (It’s a super helpful question to ask of any item you’re considering purchasing online or in the store, as in, “yes it’s pretty but where exactly will this live in my home?”)
Consider when, where, how often etc you’ll need it. If regularly, store at waist to eye level for easy reach; if less often consider high (if light/not fragile) or low if heavy.
Who will be using it? Just you? Or multiple family members? Then decide where you’ll be most likely to recall it, reach for it, actually use it
Store it with like and be sure there’s room—yup, you may need to declutter.
If you were gifted a cozy new set of pajamas, they belong in your pajama drawer, don’t have enough room? Don’t shove it in so that the drawer barely closes, don’t put it in with T shirts. Do a quick pass at the pajamas you have and see if this can replace a pair or two. Can you toss or recycle* the one that has a hole? Can you donate the handful of prepregnancy-sized ones you haven’t worn in a hot minute?
In general, as you are putting items away, pull out anything you see that no longer fits, hasn’t been used in 6-12 months, is broken or missing pieces, the kids have outgrown, etc.
Make sure it’s visible and accessible, not buried
If anyone else may need it, make sure all are on board with its home and know exactly where to return it
*FREE and ridiculously easy textile recycling: fill a bag and drop off to one of the many bins of a beloved nonprofit Phoenix Used Clothing: https://phoenixusedclothing.online/locations.html
Make a plan to use it so that you actually DO
The expensive makeup you wanted and got? When exactly will you use it? Look at the calendar; is there a special event coming up? Remind yourself this is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself; send a pic to a friend and share how excited you are for a night out feeling like your best self.
Perhaps you gifted your spouse a new Slushie machine. This is a rare and very specific kitchen appliance that likely doesn’t need prime real estate but could be forgotten if it’s stored out of sight. Put an at-home date night on the calendar, find a recipe you both love, get the ingredients, and make it happen. Commit to it! If you have a blast, put another date on the calendar and switch it up, invite a friend, involve the kids, or offer to bring it to a BBQ when the weather warms up as a unique contribution.
Get a gift certificate for a massage (or some other service or special place)? Schedule it now—my favorite massage therapist is booking so far out that I am on her books through July and this month I intend to book out the rest of 2025 #worthit. Get it on the calendar, plan the day for self care, store it where you’ll remember it.
Make your returns
Clutter is what happens when we decide (consciously or not) to “deal with it later” and the unaddressed items become stagnant. Your returns are more likely to get back on time if you move them into the car, start the process to get your codes, and add it into your next round of errands—yes, on the calendar or stacked with a favorable activity nearby.
Or assign someone else in the house to do it if this isn’t your strength. Don’t delay—you know the windows will close soon. You know all too well how easy it is to make that return pile and forget to get it out on time.
Close the season with intention
As a certified professional organizer, I gently remind you that keeping a tidy home is a self-care ritual that works best when decluttering is part of your everyday routine.
You have choices every time you look for something in your closet. The choice to ignore the clutter, remove a few no longer used items, or do a total overhaul. Every time you put away a coffee mug or file a paper or grab something from the pantry. You can choose to ditch the excess, to pull out any obvious items that you don’t love or use.
The change of the season is no different. So I’ll challenge you: As you’re packing up Christmas decor, put away only what you still truly love. When there’s excess and it looks like “Christmas threw up in [your] home” (a client’s words), it’s easy to become clutter-blind and not really be able to see and take in what you love.
Keep the favorites, say goodbye with gratitude to what’s no longer your style, what has bad juju from a former friend or lover, what’s chipped or faded or stained. If something is special because it was a family heirloom or a collection from a deceased family member, can you keep one or two of the best to honor that person, and pass on the rest?
Use sealable containers to corral all of your holiday items, grouping like with like. And use labels (decor, music/books/movies, ornaments, baking etc) to make finding exactly what you need easier. Pack bins neatly and not overstuffed.
I hope you feel more confident to clean up your holiday abundance. I know I feel some relief just writing these things down. Need more help organizing? Book a free call to learn more about the process.