Fun and Easy Holiday Projects to Make or Purchase for Family Holiday Traditions

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holiday homemade projects and traditions

 

DIY, homemade projects are precious keepsakes and create holiday memories. For years I have created a few precious holiday gifts for my family. With a combination of time and resources, it has been a joyful way to bring meaningful gifting to our family.  Here are the gifts that our family has cherished throughout the year. Now is the time for you to start creating your treasures.

 

Annual family photo album

A highlight of the holiday gifts is our annual family photo album. I ask my kiddos to contribute photos throughout the year to Shutterfly.  Photos are uploaded by everyone to create a compilation of photos of travel, birthdays and events from the year. I share a deadline so that everyone is finished by the time I start creating the photo album. I design in Shutterfly and then wait for a coupon. The photo book arrives in early December to be wrapped.

 

Family ornaments

Each year I order one ornament for each of my grandkids. The ornament celebrates a milestone of that year. Over the years, these are cherished as a remarkable way to commemorate events.  One of our family friends also has given ornaments. One of my grand’s favorites is a taco shaped ornament. These are keepsakes that will go on to our grand kids’ families as they celebrate in years to come.

 

Family Calendar

My husband’s favorite gift of the year is from our kiddos. They create a family calendar filled with family photos. We use the calendar all year long and love seeing the precious photos each month. They also populate the calendar with all the birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions so we have this as a reference as well.

 

Holiday traditions + gifts

I reached out on my social media to learn more about what other families do for their family presents.  Here are several ideas that were shared.

  • We are very creative in our family, so we have been doing a holiday craft each year for over 24 years. Each year, we do a different type of craft project. Making gingerbread houses was done for many years when the kids were little. As they got older, I changed it a bit. One year, we made unique paper snowflakes. Another year, we did rock painting, and I have them displayed in my herb garden.
  • I used to get a “safety gift” for the adults in my family. Fire extinguisher, car safety kit, weather radio, tool to cut through seat belt and break window. I did it for about 8 years but then I ran out of safety gift ideas. I think I will restart it now that my kids are adults.
  • Each year I purchase matching Christmas pajamas that our family wears on Christmas Eve. We take photos and share them on our holiday cards.
  • I make a holiday ornament online with a family photo taken during the year. I gift it to each of my kids.
  • My family makes holiday cookie jars. We layer ingredients for cookies, brownies, or hot chocolate mix in mason jars, and decorate with ribbons. The kids decorate tags with the recipe and bring these to friends and teachers.

 

Now is the time to start your projects to be ready for this holiday season.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving from Ellen!

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Thanksgiving

Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

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I am grateful, thankful, and blessed by all our connections this year. Wishing you an abundance of blessings this holiday season and into the new year! 

 

Virtual Clutter Support Group February 2021 Conquer Your Paper Clutter

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virtual clutter support group.

 

Conquer Your Paper Clutter

Virtual Clutter Support Group for Individuals with ADHD

February 2021

 

Paper clutter overwhelms us in many ways. We do not know what to keep, we don’t know how long to keep it and we have so much of it coming into our homes and offices.  In addition, we need to know how to triage it, file it and find it again.

 

Join me in February for Professional-Organizer.com’s Virtual Clutter Support Group for Individuals with ADHD. This fee-based group is the starting point for creating solutions for your paper clutter.

  • The Virtual Clutter Support Group meets for three one-hour weekly sessions to learn paper management skills and get support for organizing your papers.
  • We will meet in a small group setting by logging into Zoom on your device.
  • At each weekly meeting there will be skill building instruction and personal paperwork time. I will share skills and concepts. You will bring your paperwork to edit, declutter and categorize.

 

Meeting Logistics

  • Meetings are held online through Zoom link. You can join from a smart phone, smart device or computer. Simply click on the link to join.
  • Meeting dates are Thursdays February 11, 18 and 25.
  • Meeting times are 7- 8 pm central time.
  • No need to purchase products. I will share recommendations that you may already own or can easily purchase to finalize your paperwork process. There are a variety of options that can work for you.
  • Cost is $75 for the three sessions.
  • Group size is limited. Join today!

Register by February 7, 2021.
For information and to register, call 281.360.3928 or

email edelap@professional-organizer.com

The New Organizing Vocabulary and The Home Edit

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New organizing vocabulary and The Home Edit

File fold: to fold your clothes to appear like a file folder in a drawer

 

Decant: to empty items out of the original container to a clear container

 

Roy G Biv: to color code according to the rainbow colors of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet

 

 

Have you seen the Netflix show, The Home Edit? It’s real life organizing in celebrities’ homes. The show depicts organizing with a glossy final product.

 

This show gives a new spin to organizing.

  • There are new vocabulary words to do with organizing. This updated vocabulary reminds us that there are always new strategies, tools and tips to share with our clients in our work together.
  • We always knew that keeping the final product in mind is important. The impact is clear with this show that cute counts overall.

What’s not new are the basics of organizing.

  • The essential concept is functionality. That’s essential on our new normal to lower stress. The more functional your space, the easier life will be.
  • Keeping the end in mind is critical to organizing success. Know what you and who you work with want to see and feel at the end of a project.
  • Not surprising is that value of labels. Labelling makes it easy to maintain the organizing system you set up.
  • Organizing remains a top priority in the 21st century. We are blessed with abundance and we continue to have a need to keep it edited and organized.

 

Having a new organizing show on Netflix is a happy thing for everyone!

 

 

COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness for Your Papers, Passwords and More

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emergency preparedness for papers and more

 

 

Emergency preparedness goes beyond organizing your stuff. It starts with a will, durable power of attorney and legal documents and moves to online passwords and your digital life.  We all have important documents that we need access to during our lifetime and that our loved ones might need access to in the future. With the time we have, it’s a great time to organize these papers and more.

 

Tools to get organized

In an emergency, the last thing that should be an obstacle is locating paperwork. We need easy access to health insurance details, medical information, and advance directives. Estate plans, financial and insurance information, property and business interests should be documented and organized. Your digital life and passwords are also key to ensuring that information can easily be accessed.

Clients have often asked me how to do this and what is easiest to accomplish what seems like an overwhelming accumulation of data.  There is a comprehensive system called My Life Packet (www.mylifepacket.com.) It is an organizational tool that walks you through what you need to collect, record, and share. (Note I have no financial gain from sharing this tool.)

In My Life Packet,  you can pace yourself to consolidate the documents you need.  By taking inventory of what documents you have and where they are located can save everyone time, money, and stress. It is about peace of mind to have all these documents ready.

 

Time to get organized

Like all projects, take a big picture on organizing your important papers.

  • What do you want the end to look like? Is this an electronic document or a binder with papers?
  • What do already have accumulated?
  • Can you spend an hour at a time assembling these documents?
  • Who else in your family will you share this?

 

Time to share your documents

Documents like these are a gift to yourself and your family.  Take this project on,  like all big projects, as a way to share important conversations. According to Real Simple, there are 4 important family meetings all families need. These include the “Senior Summit” to discuss life documents, care and more. Having a Senior Summit is for all ages, not just seniors.  It’s not a one and done conversation in that as decisions can change and be updated.  Set a date as a deadline to start your first conversation.

 

Here is a basic list of what you will be needing to get started.

 

COVID-19 Why your Family Meeting Matters Now More than Ever

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covid-19 family meetings

 

Family together has taken on a whole new meaning.   Families are together 24/7 with home schooling and work at home.  How does that impact family communication? Is a family meeting necessary if we are all together all the time?  What’s important to share at a family meeting?  Using your Family Meeting to connect and communicate remains an important resource during this time.

 

Family Meeting Basics

Family meetings are a part of great communication. Meeting once a week gets everyone on the same page with calendars, family activities and ongoing family planning. It’s also a great way to discuss important topics like your family values.  In this time, there are many responsibilities being communicated that are new and different. Home schooling with learning menus and Zoom calls are new additions to family life.  Your family calendar can look busy even with most activities canceled.

  •  Keep your calendaring going for you and your kids. Add dates and information ongoing each every day.  Your Family Meeting is where you can capture more information weekly.
  • Plan some family work parties and family fun! Have each person make a list of things they want to do (board games, tell stories, watch movie) and things that could be done (clean house, organize closet, wipe baseboards and doors). Prioritize the list, assign dates and voila! Both responsibilities and fun happen.
  • Be sure you meet regularly to keep momentum and information flowing.

 

Family Meeting Tricks and Tips

Like all meetings, there are some small tricks and tips that help.

  • Keep it short. Boredom sets in quickly.  If you see distractions coming up, walk and talk.
  • Get buy in.  Buy in can come from many different strategies. Always serve a snack. Everyone loves to eat!
  • Have an agenda. Be consistent in your agenda.
    • Update calendars
    • Talk about an upcoming event or discuss a family value
    • Set time for next meeting
    • Have fun

 

Family meeting visual aids and reminders

Now let’s share what we know with each other to keep up to date all the time.

Dry erase boards are the most popular way to share Family Meetings agendas. You can pair two calendar dry erase boards and a blank dry erase as a complete command center for your family.

Family Dry Erase Calendar Wayfair

dry erase calendars

Family Dry Erase Calendar The Container Store

 

Family Dry Erase Board Blank Wayfair

 

 

Smead justik dry erase

Smead justik dry erase

 

 

 

 

If your calendar is digital, you can share the calendar on your devices for everyone to view.

Google calendar printed for Family View. Post in a common space.

Each of us has our favorite reminder app on your devices. Set these to maximize the actions you determined at your meeting.  You can include multiple family members with some reminder apps too.

 

 

Your family meeting is the time to support and nurture your family. Bring out the best in each of your family members by addressing concerns, sharing important information. and being available together.  At the most anxious of times, setting aside a specific time to address routines and new information makes a difference for everyone in your family.

 

Search COVID-19 for all my Professional-Organizer.com posts on my blog.

Questions to ask yourself while decluttering

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decluttering

 

Letting go of stuff is hard work.  Besides your every present thought that “I might need this,” there is a pull at your heartstrings of an emotional attachment and a pull at your purse strings for what you paid for that stuff.  As I meet with clients, we are sorting through their items and asking questions to help them make decisions to edit. Asking yourself questions to help you declutter makes this task easier.

 

Questions about use

Questions about use help you determine how often you use an item and if so, whether to keep it.

Do I love it or use it?

When was the last time I used it?

If it is less than $20 and it takes less than 20 minutes to get it again, can I let it go?

If you could fit in this right now, would you wear it?

 

Questions about quantity

Questions about quantity help you let go of excess.

How many of these do I need?

Would I buy this again today?

Where do I store it to find it again?

 

 

Questions for lifestyle

Questions about lifestyle help you acknowledge your feelings about an item.

Does this help me be my best self?

Will my future self use this?

Is this holding me back?

 

Questions about emotional attachment

Questions about emotional attachment define whether to keep an item or let it go.

Is this something that makes me sad or reminds me of a sad time?

Does this make me smile?

Do I honor it as a keepsake?

 

Questions about finances

Does this have value greater than $50?

Should I sell this or donate it?

Can it be a blessing to others who have great need?

 

As you are decluttering and editing, think about this question, will your life be better for editing your stuff?  At the end of the day, less stuff means less to take care of and more life to experience.