If you plant a deciduous tree, it becomes obvious that you will need to rake leaves—but when it comes to accumulating holiday-related purchases, their eventual fate is not so straightforward.
I have developed multiple organizing strategies over the years, and have even resorted to renting storage units for possession overflow. I have also watched friends disappear into their basements for months at a time to sort through their accumulations, prior to a move.
Tidying experts advise us that for each thing that comes in, another thing must go out. I am here to tell you that even this Type A cannot do as she has been told—so don’t be too hard on yourself.
For example, I have a dresser full of summer tee shirts and shorts, even though this season is the briefest of all in Chicagoland. Intellectually, I “know” that anything I didn’t wear in the last few months should be donated, but did I do this?
Not a chance.
It took a couple of hours and all my self-discipline to repopulate those drawers with cold-weather clothes. Going the extra mile was simply more than I could face.
Bit by bit I have chipped away at rehoming and discarding, preserving and categorizing. I understand that leaving so much behind for our children to slog through would be unkind, if not embarrassing—if indeed we might care from the far reaches of The Great Beyond.
However, as I have told our grandchildren, I plan to live to be 111. So what’s the rush?
If I am more intentional about what decorations and gifts I buy this year, I can at least hold the line on what progress has been made.
I have also heard from our six-year-old granddaughter that one of her favorite things is eating meals with the family at the big table in the dining room.
Special times.
Less clutter.
And memories that last long past the new year. ©
