Organizing the Holidays as a Singleton

Thanks to Janice Simon, owner of the Clutter Princess, for sharing her holiday tips as a singleton. 

Singletons can have their own challenges when it comes to managing the holiday season.  Organizing the holidays when you are single takes a on new twist.

When you’re single, you don’t have someone to delegate to so you have to do things yourself or hire out. Here are a few tips to organize your holiday – whether your single or not.

Use your resources. I have nieces, nephews and godchildren who live around the country, and I use the Post Office and other delivery companies frequently during the holidays. When it comes to presents, I order items online as much as I can and have them sent directly to their home. I send an email or text to the parents and let them know to expect a box.

If you hate shopping but have a friend who loves it, ask them for help and do a trade. Maybe they can shop for you, and you can do something for them. When I was a reporter in Galveston, I would go Christmas shopping for the guys who needed help getting presents for their wives, and they would buy me lunch.

Stockpile a few bottles of wine or boxes of chocolates to use as host and hostess gifts for any soirees you attend.

Hire out. The two teen-age daughters of a friend have been my holiday “staff” for several years. They have stuffed, labeled, and stamped Christmas cards and wrapped presents for me.  If you’re a perfectionist, this may be difficult for you, but I operate under Donna Smallin’s “Done is perfect” mantra. It doesn’t matter if the labels and stamps are crooked or if the presents aren’t perfectly wrapped. A majority of my presents are for my nieces and nephews, and their priorities aren’t examining the wrapping job. I’m just happy that the projects are done.

Don’t want to cook and don’t have a chef at your beck and call? No problem. Order a dish or holiday meals from restaurants. For holiday potluck gatherings, offer to bring pre-made dishes or utility items such as plasticware or plates.

Simplify your processes. In my apartment, holiday decorations were stashed on the top shelves of closets and were a pain to get into. When I purchased my house several years ago, I was excited to have a “holiday closet,” the place where I can store all of my holiday decorations and my artificial Christmas tree. A couple of years ago, I purchased a tree with the lights embedded in the branches so I wouldn’t have to wrestle lights onto the tree. Because the branches fold up, I don’t have to dismantle the tree and can keep it upright. I just cover the tree with a sheet in my holiday closet.

Take your time. When I put up Christmas decorations and decorate my tree, I take my time and break my decorating into smaller, more manageable tasks. For example, I may focus on decorating the tree one afternoon, and use another afternoon or evening to put up other decorations. There’s no law that says everything has to be done in one day.

To prepare for holiday cooking, I may gather up recipes and make a grocery list one night or chop vegetables to cook the next day.

Gather your friends. If you don’t want to decorate or bake by yourself, create your own traditions and invite some friends over for a decorating or baking party. It’s more fun to have your friends around while you all decorate, bake and chat. It’s a great way to get together before everyone goes their own way for the holidays.