Dollar and thrift stores can be great sources for Super Bowl party supplies such as felt, pennants, gently used serving dishes and more; you might even find a lightly used NFL jersey at the thrift that was donated to ClothingDonations.org. At the very least, you can pick up paper plates, napkins and plastic flatware in the team colors — red and blue for the New England Patriots and green and black for the Philadephia Eagles — for your guests to use as they gorge themselves on chips, dips, nachos and wings from a thriftily-crafted buffet of favorites.
Tag: holiday decorations
The Declutterer’s Favorite Day
For those engaged in the war on clutter, today is the biggest holiday of the year. True, it may be better recognized across the pond, and there’s a good chance you won’t have the day off to celebrate. What’s more, the occasion’s original purpose isn’t even what many Americans think it is.
But the day after Christmas — Boxing Day — is truly a fantastic time to take inventory of all of the new stuff that came into your home during the holidays, begin taking down those festive decorations, and decide what you want to keep and store.
The likeliest explanation behind Boxing Day’s beginnings says that British nobles and merchants would reward workers for their year of service with boxes of food on the day after Christmas.
Today, however, the event is commonly assumed to be the day people should box up the special-occasion china, Christmas ornaments and gifts that accumulated under the tree, and clean the house for everyday use. And why not? Entertaining guests and exchanging gifts produces both trash and treasure.
Whether you can start your Boxing Day decluttering on Dec. 26 or not, start with the trash. Gather up the shredded wrapping paper, kinked ribbons, dog-eared greeting cards, cracked ornaments, chipped glassware and burned-out lights … and chuck ’em. You don’t want to be unpacking anything less-than-perfect 11 months from now.
Next, there are going to be things you got (or got out) for the holidays that you just don’t like enough to pack away for next year: holiday supplies, mismatched decorations, tired tchotchkes and other odds-and-ends. If they no longer fit your holiday scheme and are in decent shape, don’t hide them in a closet! Bag them up and set them aside.
Now, find a place for the new stuff you and your family received as gifts. Is any of it an upgraded version of something you already have? You really don’t need that old sweater, extra gadget or whatever it is — you have a brand-new one! Bag or box those duplicates.
Note: If you really want to do a complete post-Christmas cleanup, get rid of two things for every new thing you try to integrate into your home and life, says Zen Habits. That way, you’ll get to enjoy your new gifts in a more clutter-free environment.
Finally, take all of those bagged and boxed castoffs and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a pickup. Within weeks, a truck will take those unwanted items off your hands, and they will be resold to support programs benefitting veterans.
And that will help make the New Year happier for you, your family and those who served. Here’s to a clutter-free 2018!
The Best Ornaments Are Do-It-Yourself
Store-bought ornaments are fine, but there’s no substitute for decorations you make yourself. Woman’s Day offers 32 clever ideas for do-it-yourself ornaments made out of family photos, felt, cinnamon sticks, toothpicks, yarn, paper, twigs, and other easy-to find materials. Even better, bake up a batch of salt dough ornaments for the family to decorate, and have each artist etch their name and the date on the back. Every time you unpack them from the holiday decoration box, it will inspire the warm feelings of Christmases past.
Wow Family and Friends With Christmas Crafts
You can wow your friends and neighbors during the holidays and upcycle at the same time with a few well-placed, handmade seasonal accents. Grab some glitter and the hot glue gun and make fanciful gift toppers, custom snow globes, or sparkly ornaments. Light up your night with an ice lantern or Mason jar candleholder. Or craft a set of whimsical pinecone elf ornaments for the tree and potato-stamp gift wrap for the presents under it. You’ll spread the good cheer and have a one-of-a-kind holiday that provides a lifetime of memories.
Keep the Kids Occupied With Christmas Crafts
It’s always a challenge to keep kids occupied, and during the holidays, your productivity (and sanity) often depend on how busy you can keep them. To get the house decorated and entertain the children at the same time, set them loose on craft projects they can hang on the tree or display on the mantle. Cardboard-and-string ornaments, cookie-cutter wrapping paper and gingerbread cookies are just a few of the ideas Extremely Good Parenting suggests to keep idle young hands busy as you ramp up for the holidays.