De-cluttering

DE-CLUTTERING ROSIE BARRON IS THE TIDY COO

Rosie Barron is The Tidy Coo, an award-winning Professional Organiser, who works with clients to help them Declutter and Organise their homes and live a more relaxed life. A Master KonMari Consultant and member of APDO (the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers), Rosie lives in Aberdeenshire with her husband, four Home Educated children, nine ponies, six dogs, three cats, four bunnies, chickens, ducks and fish which all Spark Joy.

Ithink that I may well get in trouble for using the C-word when we are only just into October, but hear me out, because a little bit of preparation now will stand you in good stead for the end of the year. Plus, the thought of some Christmas cheer might be just what you need!

As ever, the whole point of what I do is to try to make your life easier and less stressful. So don’t worry about trying to plan the Best Christmas Ever – remember it’s not about how many different courses there are at Christmas Dinner, or about who can spend the most money on presents, it’s about spending time with each other. First things first, where are you going to spend Christmas and with who? With the number of animals we have, we usually spend Christmas at home and this year is no exception. For many people there will be negotiations to be had with families, and I know we’re all hoping that this year Christmas will be normal but do make sure that you’re not running round like a headless turkey trying to please everyone.

Who will you be buying gifts for? Make a list now so you don’t forget, and don’t forget to set yourself a budget. Remember that the point of Christmas is not to bankrupt yourself trying to show love.

Gift giving is an area that can be fraught. I absolutely love getting gifts, and I love the love behind it, but there is no denying that there is often a massive amount of waste at Christmas. Whilst nothing beats the Christmas magic of running downstairs to see if Father Christmas has been (and that’s just me!), you do not need a hundred presents to get the same magic. In fact, too many presents under the tree can be

Images: Laura Walter Photography

For my own children, we try to keep the presents a little reined back and there is a useful little rhyme for this that I use; Something they Want. Something they Need. Something to Wear. Something to Read.

Using this, they usually get a nice stocking from Father Christmas, with the addition of some things like chocolate and socks, and a larger present from us. They do a Secret Santa among themselves (which encourages them to think of others!), but we try to encourage other family members to contribute towards experiences instead of presents.

As for the grown-ups, I have quite a large family, being one of four, so we all do a Secret Santa between us, spouses included. It means that rather than frantically hunting round for heaps of presents for each person, we can spend our energy on just one and make it a really good one. I always try to make sure that the gift I give is thoughtful, but I appreciate that I may not always get it right!

As for receiving gifts, I always encourage everyone to receive gifts with grace and thanks for the love that has been given with it. The job of the gift (to show love) is done when it is given. Once the gift has been handed over, it is then up to you to decide if it has a place in your life and if it doesn’t, to release it with thanks. I cannot tell you how many of my clients are buried under heaps of things that were gifts and that they feel guilty about letting go of. Either keep it and love it, or let it go on its way to someone else. Decide if you are sending Christmas Cards. I know that these are rather going out of fashion now, with many people preferring to make a charity donation, but I still love a card. They help me to keep in touch with people who are not big on social media and I enjoy reading the round ups that people send with them. Do check out the last posting dates with the Royal Mail as some of them are much earlier than you might think!

Prepare food where you can. If you’re making a Christmas cake, then tradition dictates that you should have started in September, but it’s not too late to start now. You can also start slipping the extra thing into your trolley for the store cupboard or freezer now to spread out the cost. Do you need to order a turkey? My children are not fond of turkey, so we will be having something else at Christmas, probably chicken. With my husband being such an avid cook, food features pretty highly during Christmas Day, but equally, we like to keep it relatively simple – the point is not that he should spend the whole day in the kitchen, but that we should enjoy the day as a family.

P.S If you’re looking for a present, then I hear that there is a rather fabulous book out there called Easy Life. If you use the code LifeStyleFS on my website www.thetidycoo.com, you can get free domestic shipping until the end of November!”

Visit: www.thetidycoo.com

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