1. Dedicate an area
“Choose a room and go wild. This is your Christmas area, to be used as storage for food and gifts in the lead up to the big day. On Christmas Day or Boxing Day, encourage guests to also store their extra stuff in this room - keeping the rest of your house safe from holiday madness!”
2. Have a bin ready to go
“On the big day, have a basket for paper in the area where your gifts will be unwrapped. Encourage guests to toss their paper into it after they unwrap their gift. This helps keep your space tidy and avoids the post-gift-opening mess.”
3. Get organised
“As extra guests descend upon your house for Christmas, it’s important to have your space prepared in advance. Have a pre-Christmas declutter, otherwise this season will simply add mess on top of mess. This also makes it easier for people to locate and head home with their new gifts.”
4. Stay calm
“When relatives pile through the door bearing gifts and the kitchen gets buried in extra groceries it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, the last thing we want is a frazzled head. Breathe in, breathe out and stay calm to enjoy the family excitement. Keep the big picture in mind and remember that the Christmas season is only a few weeks long.”
5. Gather opened gifts
“Encourage your family and guests to collect their new gifts and place them back under the nearly naked foot of your tree, in a pile or gift bag. This prevents every chair or bench becoming a leaning post for everyone's gifts while you're in entertaining mode.”
6. Rubbish sorted
“Cardboard and waste can pile up quickly over Christmas, especially if you're assembling toys and appliances that come in large boxes. If you predict exceeding your weekly bin allowance, plan to hire a bigger bin, or do a tip run to avoid mid-week panic of overflowing recycling bins.”
