By Tanya Hamel
The holidays are here! There always seems to be so much to do, and it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all: The gifts to make or buy, the wrapping of the gifts, the baking, the cards, (yes, I still send cards.) It can be a lot, but I always find ways to make it feel like Christmas.
One of my most favorite chores is decorating our home with my family. We put on Christmas music and hot cocoa, my husband and sons climb up in the attic and haul boxes of decorations down while I move furniture around and do a “flight of the bumble bee” mad cleaning before transforming our house into a winter wonderland. I decorate the inside, and our boys help Dad hang lights and decorate outside. By the end of the day, we all gather to decorate the tree.
This is always the best part. Since my kids where babies, my sister has gifted them Hallmark ornaments each year for Christmas. Along with some of our homemade ones, some old ones from when my husband and I were first starting out, and some that our parents have passed on to us, we laugh and tell stories of “how much we loved this one,” or “I remember this one when I was a little kid.” It truly is such a happy time. The memories we share are the best gifts of all.
I find that by the time we’re all finished, we have a few ornaments that don’t fit on the tree, or an old blanket, or decoration that just doesn’t work anymore. So I begin the “clean-out.” My husband is the worst when I say “I think I’ll just give these away.” He and my boys respond: “Don’t get rid of that!” I remind them that the important and sentimental things have already been hung, and it’s OK to let things go. When it’s packed away for a year, you don’t have to think about how much stuff we’ve accumulated over the years or how much more will be coming this year, after December 25–.
Downsizing and decluttering has a lot great benefits. Not only do you get to reclaim areas of your home, but you may find things you totally forgot you had. Getting rid of things that you don’t need any more is a great way to hand those treasures off to someone who may treasure it, too. What better time than the holidays to give or re-gift! Now, I don’t mean giving your tattered junk to someone else to throw away, but if you have items that are in good shape that someone else could use or appreciate, then you’ve got a win-win situation!
Not to mention the mental benefits. If you are a person who has piles to remind you to do certain tasks, decluttering allows you to check things off your to-do list. Productivity and reducing the stress stimuli in your home can raise your self-esteem, confidence, mood and focus. Getting organized and clearing out excess stuff helps make the daily chores seem a lot easier to manage as well. You may even find yourself with more time to do the things you like to do instead of fretting about everything that needs to be done.
Of course, those things that are special to you, you’ll want to hang on to. Or if you intend to hand something down to a loved one someday, store it somewhere out of your way, where it won’t get damaged. Then again, it’s the season of giving. Maybe you can make a memory with a family member right now and gift the item to them when you are still around to see the joy on their face.
However we celebrate the holidays, we always want to rejoice in our blessings and loved ones and not have to worry about added stress that can be hiding right in our own home. Here’s to an enjoyable holiday season! May your days be merry and bright, and may the holidays treat you right.
Tanya Hamel is the community liaison for Health Alliance Northwest, serving Chelan, Douglas, Grant- and Okanogan counties in Washington. Tanya was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the outdoors, and spending time with her family and their two dogs. Like this article? Feel free to respond to Outreach@HealthAlliance.org. Thanks for reading!