The holidays have a way of arriving all at once. One minute you’re enjoying the fall, and the next you’re looking for serving platters, making room for guests, wrapping gifts, and wondering where you put the decorations.
You don’t need to organize your entire house before the holidays. A little attention to the spaces you’ll use most can make the season feel much easier. Start now, while you still have room on the calendar to make decisions at your own pace.
Our Professional Insight: Start Where It Matters Most
At POSH, we start with the space that causes our clients the most stress. During the holidays, think about which areas will be working hardest—and where clutter is likely to get in your way.
Is it the kitchen counter covered with mail and shopping bags? The guest room that has become a storage room? The entryway where everyone drops coats, shoes, and packages?
Pick one space and begin there. Having a usable kitchen counter or a guest room ready ahead of time gives you one less task to manage when the calendar fills up.
The Science Behind It
Our brains have a limited capacity to process visual information. Research published in *The Journal of Neuroscience* found that multiple items in our field of view compete for processing, and attention helps us select what matters.
A practical way to apply that finding at home is to reduce unrelated items in the spaces where you need to focus. Clearing mail and shopping bags from the kitchen counter gives you a simpler space for preparing food or wrapping gifts. It won’t make your holiday to-do list disappear, but it can make the task in front of you easier to manage.
Practical Takeaways: Prepare the Spaces You’ll Use Most
Make space before more comes in
The holidays often bring extra food, gifts, decorations, and people into your home. Before adding anything, take a look at what’s already there.
In the pantry, group similar foods together and check dates. You may discover that you already have three boxes of crackers or the ingredients for a favorite holiday recipe. In the refrigerator and freezer, clear out what you won’t use so there’s room for groceries and leftovers.
If gifts are on the way, take a few minutes to look through toys, books, or closets. The goal is to notice what your family uses and loves, then make thoughtful decisions about the rest.
Set up the kitchen for how you’ll use it
Whether you’re hosting a large gathering or baking cookies with your family, the kitchen usually works harder during the holidays.
Put everyday items where they’re easy to reach. Check that you can find your serving dishes, baking supplies, food storage containers, and linens without searching through several cabinets. If you use something only once or twice a year, store it out of the way—but make sure you know where it is.
You need a kitchen that helps you make dinner when you’re tired and find the roasting pan when you need it. Start with those practical needs.
Give incoming items a place to land
Holiday clutter often begins with things that haven’t been given a home: invitations, school papers, receipts, returns, packages, and gifts you need to hide.
Choose a simple spot for each category. A basket for mail that needs attention, a place for returns, and one designated area for gifts can keep those items from spreading across the house. Keep the system easy to use. If it takes too many steps, it’s less likely to hold up when life gets busy.
Make room in the coat closet
Guests often arrive with coats, and the coat closet is easy to overlook until you’re trying to squeeze in a few more hangers.
Before the holidays, take a look at the coats, shoes, gloves, hats, and scarves you’ve accumulated. Which ones do you actually wear? Are there coats that no longer fit, shoes you never reach for, or hats and scarves that haven’t left the closet in years? This is a good time to donate items in good condition that you no longer use.
Group what you’re keeping together so it’s easy to find, and leave a few empty hangers for guests. A little space now can save you from piling everyone’s coats on a bed when they arrive.
Check the guest spaces early
If you’re expecting overnight guests, take a look at the room they’ll use before the week they arrive. Clear a surface for their belongings, make space in a closet or drawer if possible, and check that you have clean bedding and towels.
Don’t forget the bathroom. A little space on the counter and extra toilet paper where guests can easily find it can help them feel comfortable without requiring a complete bathroom makeover.
Be selective with decorations
Before you decorate, look through what you kept from last year. Are there broken lights, decorations you no longer display, or bins so full that finding anything feels frustrating?
After you’re done decorating the house, take a look at what’s left in the bins. If you didn’t use those decorations this year, are you likely to use them next year? Perhaps your tastes have changed, or you simply enjoy putting out less. This may be a good time to donate the decorations you no longer use so someone else can enjoy them.
When the season ends, store decorations by category or by where you use them, and label the containers clearly. Next year, you’ll be glad you did.
The POSH Perspective
**We organize for the client’s life—not our own.**
That means holiday preparation should reflect how you and your family celebrate. If you love putting out every decoration, make them easy to find and put away. If you prefer a few favorite pieces, give yourself permission to let the rest go.
The same goes for hosting. Your home should support the gatherings you enjoy, with systems you can maintain during a busy season. The goal is to find what you need, welcome the people you love, and have time to enjoy their company.
Let POSH Help You Get Ready
If preparing your home feels overwhelming, POSH Organizing can help. We work with clients throughout Connecticut to declutter the spaces that matter most and create systems that fit the way they live.
Contact POSH Organizing to schedule a session before the holiday rush. Together, we can make room for the season ahead.