How to purge Christmas (but keep the good stuff)
Christmas has come and gone and now everyone in my house is sick including a lovely case of pink eye...That usually means Christmas was a success.But now I'm hitting that post-Christmas - holy crap look at all the extra stuff I just brought into my house - panic. I tried really hard this year to not buy just for the sake of buying but I know I can do way better and I mean let's be real - my kids really didn't care about the gifts anyways. And the food - my goodness friends the food. It's everywhere. Kitchen, playroom, basement, an empty container of seven layer dip by my bed...So now it's time to purge Christmas and get everything back to the simple way it was.So here's the game plan;Each item I put away I need to get rid of another.I have felt for a while that we have way to much "stuff" in our house and I am so looking forward to cleaning out as I add what we received this year - there is nothing more satisfying to me then garbage day, I love garbage day!Clean up all the Christmas decorations but don't replace them with something else.I always feel like your house is so empty or bare after you put the Christmas decorations away but I also feel like I clutter for the sake of clutter. This year I'm not going to overwhelm by house with stuff to replace stuff - I mean when I put it that way it's just plain stupid.Also, every toy or book that is Christmas related is getting packed away because they don't need it AND when we unpack of Christmas stuff next year its like brand new gifts!If I know we are not going to use it then I'm going to lose it.*WARNING* If you gave us a gift please don't read this part.If it's a gift that I know myself or my kids are not going to use (or I don't want them to use) then I am sure the local Thrift Store (or spring Yard Sale) will love it. Stop hanging onto stuff just because, the giver won't know anyways!So if you are like me you are super excited to clean, purge and get back to our "regular" routine of life. But I don't want to get rid of everything - this Christmas I really tried to practice joy and simplicity and (sometimes) it worked well. I know it sounds super cliché but I really want to take that attitude with me. I found myself more patient with my kids (because it was Christmas), more snuggly and loving (because it was Christmas) more touchy feels and giddy with my husband (because it was Christmas) and much more easy-going (because, you guess it, it was Christmas) - this needs to continue.So happy purging, happy cleaning, happy getting back to normal and (if no one told you) good job, if everyone was (mostly) happy and no one got food poisoning - you rocked Christmas.Only 364 days until we do it all over again!